Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “parapet” come from?

Parapet comes from Middle French parapet, from Italian parapetto, combining Italian para- (from Latin parare, "to prepare or protect") and Italian petto ("breast").

parapet (English): A low protective wall; Part of a perimeter that...

Definitions

  1. A low protective wall; Part of a perimeter that...

Ancestry of “parapet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchparapet—
2Italianparapettoparapet; balustrade; ledger board
3Italianparareto adorn or deck; to protect or shield; to block
4Italianpettochest; breast
5Latinpectuschest, breast; heart, breast, as the seat of...
6Proto-Italicpektos—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpeg-breast
8Englishpolyethylene glycolAny of a series of water-soluble polymers, of...

Words derived from “parapet”

  • parapeted
  • parapetted
  • parapetless
  • parapetlike
Every word from English polyethylene glycol →