Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “meantone” come from?

meantone (English) comes from English mean, from Middle English menen, from Old French mener, from Latin minō, from Latin mina, from Gaulish mēnā, from Proto-Celtic *meinis, from Proto-Indo-European mēy(H)nis — to cut, hew.

meantone (English): A musical temperament that generates all...

Definitions

  1. A musical temperament that generates all...

Ancestry of “meantone”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeanTo intend; To convey; To have conviction in ; to...
2Middle Englishmenento intend, to mean to indicate or signify; to...
3Old Frenchmenerto lead
4Latinminō—
5LatinminaA Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek...
6Gaulishmēnāore, mine
7Proto-Celtic*meinis—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmēy(H)nis—
9Proto-Indo-European(s)mēy(H)-to cut, hew
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mēy(H)- →