Where does “anagram” come from?
Anagram comes from French anagramme, from Ancient Greek ἀνά (ana, "up" or "back") and γράμμα (gramma, "letter" or "writing"), from γράφω (graphō, "to write"), traced to Proto-Indo-European gerebh- and ger-, meaning "to scratch" or "carve."
anagram (English): A word or phrase that is created by rearranging...
Definitions
- A word or phrase that is created by rearranging...
Ancestry of “anagram”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | anagramma | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | γράμμα | that which is written, that which is drawn,... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | γράφω | to scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | grəpʰō | to scratch, cut or carve into |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |