Where does “smalt” come from?

Smalt comes from Italian smalto, derived from Frankish smalt, which traces back to Proto-Indo-European (s)meld-, a root meaning to melt or fuse.

smalt (English): a deep blue pigment made from powdered glass...

Definitions

  1. a deep blue pigment made from powdered glass...

Ancestry of “smalt”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiansmaltoenamel; glaze; tincture
2Old Occitanesmaltenamel
3Latinsmaltumenamel
4Frankishsmaltmelted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat
5Proto-Germanicsmeltanąto melt
6Proto-Indo-European(s)meld-to soften, to melt
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld-Every word from Proto-Germanic smeltanąEvery word from Frankish smalt