Where does “index finger” come from?
index finger (English) comes from English index, from Latin index, from Latin dīcō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere, from Latin dis- — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
index finger (English): the forefinger
Definitions
- the forefinger
Ancestry of “index finger”, step by step
index finger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English index
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | index | An alphabetical listing of items and their... |
| 2 | Latin | index | A pointer, indicator; The index finger,... |
| 3 | Latin | dīcō | to say, talk, speak, utter, mention |
| 4 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 5 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 6 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 7 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 8 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 9 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 10 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via English finger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | finger | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals |
| 2 | German | Finger | finger |
| 3 | Middle High German | vinger | finger |
| 4 | Old High German | fingar | finger |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fingr | finger |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fingraz | finger |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | penkʷrós | — |