Where does “mordente” come from?

mordente (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.

mordente (English): An embellishment resembling a trill

Definitions

  1. An embellishment resembling a trill

Ancestry of “mordente”, 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 →