Where does “motettist” come from?
motettist (English) comes from English motet, from French motet, from French mot, from Middle French mot, from Old French mot, from Medieval Latin mota, from Frankish *mot, from Proto-Germanic *motta — dark, dirty.
motettist (English): The composer of a motet
Ancestry of “motettist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | motet | A composition adapted to sacred words in the... |
| 2 | French | motet | motet |
| 3 | French | mot | word; note, message |
| 4 | Middle French | mot | word |
| 5 | Old French | mot | word; Alternative form of molt |
| 6 | Medieval Latin | mota | a mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of... |
| 7 | Frankish | *mot | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *motta | — |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | mutô | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mut- | dark, dirty |