Where does “Echo” come from?
Echo comes from Ancient Greek Ἠχώ, the name of a nymph in Greek mythology whose voice was cursed to repeat only the words of others.
Echo (English): An oread, punished by Hera by losing her own voice and only being able to mimic that of others
Definitions
- An oread, punished by Hera by losing her own voice and only being able to mimic that of others
Ancestry of “Echo”, step by step
Echo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English ecco
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ecco | Alternative form of eccho |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | ecco | — |
| 3 | Latin | echo | echo |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | Ἠχώ | sound; a nymph in Greek mythology |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἠχή | sound, noise |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *wākʰā́ | — |
via Middle English eccho
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | eccho | Echoing, reverberation; A favourable response... |