Where does “logo” come from?
Logo comes from English logotype, which combines English type with Ancient Greek λόγος meaning word or reason.
logo (English): A visual symbol or emblem that acts as a...
Definitions
- A visual symbol or emblem that acts as a...
Ancestry of “logo”, step by step
logo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English logogram
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | logogram | A character or symbol that represents a word or... |
| 2 | English | Gram | Clipping of Instagram |
| 3 | French | gramme | gram |
| 4 | Latin | gramma | gram |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | γράμμα | that which is written, that which is drawn,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | γράφω | to scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | grəpʰō | to scratch, cut or carve into |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |
via English logotype
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | logotype | A symbol or emblem that acts as a trademark or a... |
| 2 | English | type | A grouping based on shared characteristics; a... |
| 3 | Middle English | type | symbol, figure, emblem |
| 4 | Latin | typus | figure, image; type, form, sort, kind; form,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |