Where does “aitch” come from?
aitch (English) comes from Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Latin apium, from Latin Apis, from Ancient Greek Ἄπις, from Coptic ϩⲁⲡⲉ, from Egyptian ḥp — the god Apis.
aitch (English): The name of the Latin-script letter H
Definitions
- The name of the Latin-script letter H
Ancestry of “aitch”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ache | Aching; long-lasting hurting or injury; A plant... |
| 2 | Old French | ache | — |
| 3 | Latin | apium | parsley; celery; genitive plural of apis |
| 4 | Latin | Apis | A seaport town of Egypt situated at the borders with Marmarica |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Ἄπις | — |
| 6 | Coptic | ϩⲁⲡⲉ | the Apis bull, a bull worshipped as a herald of the gods (first Ptah, then Osiris, then Atum) |
| 7 | Egyptian | ḥp | the god Apis |