Where does “arabesque” come from?
Arabesque comes from French arabesque, from Italian arabesco, from Italian arabo, from Latin -iscus suffix denoting style or manner, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -iskos.
arabesque (English): An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures...
Definitions
- An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures...
Ancestry of “arabesque”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | arabesque | arabesque; Arabic |
| 2 | Italian | arabesco | arabesque; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | Italian | -esco | Forms adjectives that indicate relationship,... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | -iscus | -ish |
| 5 | Latin | -ensis | Of or from |
| 6 | Latin | arvum | field; farm land |
| 7 | Latin | colō | to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden |
| 8 | Latin | quelō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |