Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “instrumentary” come from?

instrumentary (English) comes from English instrument, from Middle English instrument, from Old French instrument, from Latin īnstrūmentum, from Latin -mentum, from Latin -menta, from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.

instrumentary (English): instrumental

Definitions

  1. instrumental

Ancestry of “instrumentary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinstrumentA device used to produce music; A means or agency...
2Middle EnglishinstrumentA tool or device used for manipulation,...
3Old Frenchinstrument—
4Latinīnstrūmentum—
5Latin-mentuminstrument, medium, or result of; e.g....
6Latin-mentanominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural...
7Proto-Indo-European-mn̥Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ →