Where does “Instagram” come from?
Instagram (English) comes from English instant, from Middle English instant, from Old French instant, from Latin īnstāns, from Latin stō, from Proto-Italic staēō, from Proto-Indo-European sth₂éh₁yeti, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.
Instagram (English): A photograph or video shared on this service; To...
Definitions
- A photograph or video shared on this service; To...
Ancestry of “Instagram”, step by step
Instagram traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English instant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | instant | A very short period of time; a moment; A single,... |
| 2 | Middle English | instant | infinitely short period of time |
| 3 | Old French | instant | assiduous, at hand |
| 4 | Latin | īnstāns | standing or pressing upon |
| 5 | Latin | stō | to stand |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | staēō | stand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sth₂éh₁yeti | to stand |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |
via English telegram
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | telegram | A message transmitted by telegraph; To send a... |
| 2 | English | -gram | Something written, drawn or otherwise recorded |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | γράμμα | that which is written, that which is drawn,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | γράφω | to scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | grəpʰō | to scratch, cut or carve into |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |