Where does “ringtone” come from?
ringtone (English) comes from English ring, from Middle English ryng, from Old English hring, from Proto-West Germanic hring, from Proto-Germanic hringaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)krengʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
ringtone (English): The sound made by a telephone when ringing; A...
Definitions
- The sound made by a telephone when ringing; A...
Ancestry of “ringtone”, step by step
ringtone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ring | A solid object in the shape of a circle; A group... |
| 2 | Middle English | ryng | ring |
| 3 | Old English | hring | ring |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hring | ring, circle |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hringaz | ring, circle; curve; sound, ring |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)krengʰ- | to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via English tone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tone | A specific pitch; An interval of a major second;... |
| 2 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |