Where does “paragraph” come from?
Paragraph comes from Middle French paragraphe, from Latin paragraphus, from Ancient Greek παράγραφος, from Ancient Greek γράφω meaning to write, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to scratch or carve.
paragraph (English): A passage in text that is about a different...
Definitions
- A passage in text that is about a different...
Ancestry of “paragraph”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | paragraphe | — |
| 2 | Latin | paragraphus | paragraph |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | παράγραφος | short stroke in the margin marking a break in... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | γράφω | to scratch, cut into; to draw, sketch, paint; to... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | grəpʰō | to scratch, cut or carve into |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gerbʰ- | to carve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |