Where does “diagonal” come from?
Diagonal comes from Middle French diagonal, from Latin diagonalis, from Ancient Greek διαγώνιος, combining διά (dia, through) and γώνιος (gōnios, angle), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning two.
diagonal (English): Joining two nonadjacent vertices; Having slanted...
Definitions
- Joining two nonadjacent vertices; Having slanted...
Ancestry of “diagonal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | diagonal | — |
| 2 | Latin | diagōnālis | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | διαγώνιος | from angle to angle |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | δῐᾰ- | apart; through, across; through; in different... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |
Words derived from “diagonal”