Where does “crosstalk” come from?
Crosstalk is a 20th-century English compound of cross- and talk, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic talkōną through Middle English talken, tracing to Proto-Indo-European del- meaning to split or divide.
crosstalk (English): Undesirable signals from a neighbouring...
Definitions
- Undesirable signals from a neighbouring...
Ancestry of “crosstalk”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | cross- | exchange; switch; across; Indicating... |
| 2 | Irish | cros- | cross- |
| 3 | Irish | cros | cross; crosspiece; trial, affliction |
| 4 | Old Irish | cros | — |
| 5 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |