Where does “semi-quote” come from?

semi-quote (English) comes from English quote, from Middle English quoten, from Old French coter, from Medieval Latin quotare, from Latin quot, from Proto-Italic *kʷot.

semi-quote (English): A single quotation mark, ('). This is often used for a quote within a quote, as in "Tom said 'What?'"

Definitions

  1. A single quotation mark, ('). This is often used for a quote within a quote, as in "Tom said 'What?'"

Ancestry of “semi-quote”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishquoteA quotation; a statement attributed to a person;...
2Middle Englishquoten—
3Old Frenchcoter—
4Medieval Latinquotareto distinguish by numbers, number chapters
5Latinquothow many; as many
6Proto-Italic*kʷot—
Every word from Proto-Italic *kʷot →Every word from Latin quot →Every word from Medieval Latin quotare →