Where does “mordent” come from?

mordent (English) comes from Italian mordente, from Latin mordens, from Latin mordeo, from Proto-Italic mordeō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- — to bite, to sting.

mordent (English): An ornament consisting of a single alternation...

Definitions

  1. An ornament consisting of a single alternation...

Ancestry of “mordent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianmordentepresent participle of mordere; biting; mordant,...
2Latinmordensgnawing, stinging, eroding
3Latinmordeoto bite (into); nibble, gnaw
4Proto-Italicmordeōto bite
5Proto-Indo-European(s)merd-to bite, to sting
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)merd- →Every word from Proto-Italic mordeō →Every word from Latin mordeo →