Where does “clay tablet” come from?
clay tablet (English) comes from English tablet, from Middle English tablet, from Old French tablete, from Old French -eté, from Latin -ittus, from Proto-Italic -tos, from Proto-Indo-European -tós — Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems.
clay tablet (English): A writing medium made of clay used in Mesopotamia and nearby regions
Definitions
- A writing medium made of clay used in Mesopotamia and nearby regions
Ancestry of “clay tablet”, step by step
clay tablet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English tablet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tablet | A slab of clay used for inscription; A short... |
| 2 | Middle English | tablet | A tablet, especially an easily carried one for... |
| 3 | Old French | tablete | small table; a board to be written on; tablet |
| 4 | Old French | -eté | variant of -té |
| 5 | Latin | -ittus | diminutive suffix, used to create nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -tos | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |