Where does “penmanship” come from?
Penmanship derives from English pen and English man, ultimately from Latin penna meaning feather, which developed from Latin pinna meaning wing or feather.
penmanship (English): The art or skill of good handwriting; calligraphy
Definitions
- The art or skill of good handwriting; calligraphy
Ancestry of “penmanship”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pen | An enclosure used to contain domesticated... |
| 2 | English | penetration | The act of penetrating something; Specifically,... |
| 3 | Middle English | penetracioun | — |
| 4 | Old French | penetracïon | penetration (act, instance of penetrating) |
| 5 | Latin | penetrātiō | piercing, penetration |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |