Where does “cell” come from?
Cell derives from English cellular, which combines English phone from Ancient Greek φωνή meaning "voice" and Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning "to call."
cell (English): A single-room dwelling for a hermit; A small...
Definitions
- A single-room dwelling for a hermit; A small...
Ancestry of “cell”, step by step
cell traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cell phone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cell phone | A portable, wireless telephone, which changes... |
| 2 | English | cellular phone | A mobile phone using cellular technology; A... |
| 3 | English | phone | A device for transmitting conversations and other... |
| 4 | English | telephone | A telecommunication device used for two-way... |
| 5 | French | téléphone | telephone; first-person singular present... |
| 6 | French | télé- | tele- |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τῆλε | far off, afar, far away |
| 8 | Latin | commūnicāre | — |
| 9 | Latin | commūnis | common, commonplace, ordinary, general, universal, shared, shared alike, of both sides, belonging to two or more together |
| 10 | Old Latin | com(m)oinis | — |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | kommoinis | common |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moy-ni- | held in common |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 15 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 16 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 17 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 18 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 19 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |