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
- A musical temperament that generates all...
Ancestry of “meantone”, step by step
meantone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mean
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mean | To intend |
| 2 | Middle English | menen | to intend, to mean to indicate or signify; to... |
| 3 | Old French | mener | to lead |
| 4 | Latin | minō | to drive or goad (animals) |
| 5 | Latin | mina | A Greek weight equal to 100 drachmas; A Greek... |
| 6 | Gaulish | mēnā | ore, mine |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | *meinis | ore, metal |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy(H)nis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mēy(H)- | to cut, hew |
via English tone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tone | A specific pitch; An interval of a major second;... |
| 2 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |