Where does “semitone” come from?
Semitone comes from English semi- (half) combined with tone, which derives from Latin tōnus, from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, stretching or tension), from τείνω (teínō, to stretch), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ten- (to stretch).
semitone (English): The musical interval equal to half a tone or...
Definitions
- The musical interval equal to half a tone or...
Ancestry of “semitone”, step by step
| 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 |
Words derived from “semitone”