Where does “signorina” come from?
Signorina derives from Italian signorina, diminutive of signora, ultimately from Latin senex meaning "old" via the suffix -inus, continued through Italian -ina.
signorina (English): A courtesy title for an unmarried woman of...
Definitions
- A courtesy title for an unmarried woman of...
Ancestry of “signorina”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | signorina | young lady; miss, young lady; Miss |
| 2 | Italian | -ina | Alterative suffix used to form diminutives of... |
| 3 | Interlingua | -ina | forms nouns from nouns, denoting a technical term for a substance; container |
| 4 | Latin | -ina | nominative feminine singular of -īnus; nominative... |
| 5 | Latin | -īnus | of or pertaining to; -ine |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |