Where does “intonation” come from?

Intonation comes from French intonation, derived from Medieval Latin intonatio, a noun formation from Latin in- and -tio, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁én meaning "in."

intonation (English): The rise and fall of the voice in speaking; The...

Definitions

  1. The rise and fall of the voice in speaking; The...

Ancestry of “intonation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchintonationintonation (all senses)
2Medieval Latinintonatio—
3LatinintonoI thunder
4Latinīn-un-, non-, not
5Latinînin, at, on, upon, from (space)
6Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
7Proto-Italicenin
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “intonation”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →Every word from Latin īn- →Every word from Proto-Italic en →