Where does “perfect cadence” come from?
perfect cadence (English) comes from English perfect, from Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit, from Latin perfectus, from Latin perficiō, from Latin faciō, from Latin -torium, from Latin -tōrius.
perfect cadence (English): A cadence involving the resolution of the dominant chord (V) to the root chord (I)
Definitions
- A cadence involving the resolution of the dominant chord (V) to the root chord (I)
Ancestry of “perfect cadence”, step by step
perfect cadence traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English perfect
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | perfect | Fitting its definition precisely; Having all of... |
| 2 | Middle English | perfit | perfect |
| 3 | Old French | parfit | — |
| 4 | Latin | perfectus | achieved, executed, carried out, finished,... |
| 5 | Latin | perficiō | to finish, complete |
| 6 | Latin | faciō | to do |
| 7 | Latin | -torium | nominative neuter singular of -tōrius; accusative... |
| 8 | Latin | -tōrius | ory |
| 9 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |
via English Cadence
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Cadence | The act or state of declining or sinking |
| 2 | English | cadence | The act or state of declining or sinking;... |
| 3 | Middle French | cadence | — |
| 4 | Italian | cadenza | cadence; rhythm; third-person singular present... |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | cadentia | falling |
| 6 | Latin | cadēns | falling |
| 7 | Latin | cadō | to fall, to fall out |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kadō | fall, sink |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱad- | to fall |