Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “a cappella” come from?

a cappella (English) comes from Italian a cappella, from Italian cappella, from Latin cappella, from Latin -ella, from Latin -ellus, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

a cappella (English): A vocal performance with no instrumental...

Definitions

  1. A vocal performance with no instrumental...

Ancestry of “a cappella”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiana cappellaa cappella
2ItaliancappellaA chapel; A choir and accompanying musicians...
3Latincappellachapel; choir
4Latin-ellainflection of -ellus: ## nominative/vocative...
5Latin-ellusAlternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine...
6Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
7Proto-Italic-olos—
8Proto-Italic-elos—
9Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
10Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “a cappella”

  • a capella
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →