Where does “spinet” come from?
Spinet comes from Italian spinetta, derived from Latin -etum and Latin -tus suffixes applied to a Proto-Indo-European root spey-.
spinet (English): A short, compact harpsichord or piano; A spinney
Definitions
- A short, compact harpsichord or piano; A spinney
Ancestry of “spinet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | spinetta | spinet, a type of piano or similar instrument |
| 2 | Italian | spina | thorn; spine, prickle; plug |
| 3 | Latin | spīna | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | speinā | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spēy- | to stretch; thrive; succeed |