Where does “altarpiece” come from?
Altarpiece comes from Middle English altarpiece, combining altar from Old French piece, ultimately from Latin altus meaning "high," with piece from Old French piece of uncertain origin.
altarpiece (English): a work of art suspended above and behind an altar...
Definitions
- a work of art suspended above and behind an altar...
Ancestry of “altarpiece”, step by step
altarpiece traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English altar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | altar | A table or similar flat-topped structure used for... |
| 2 | Old English | altar | altar |
| 3 | Latin | altāre | altar, fitting for burnt offerings |
| 4 | Latin | adoleō | to emit an odor, smell |
| 5 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 6 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 7 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 8 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English piece
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | piece | A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form... |
| 2 | Middle English | pece | piece; morsel; bit |
| 3 | Old French | piece | piece, bit, part; circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 5 | Latin | pettia | piece, portion |
| 6 | Gaulish | pettyā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | kʷezdis | piece, portion |