Where does “summit” come from?
Summit comes from Middle English summit, from Middle French somete, from Old French somet and som, from Latin summum (the highest point), derived from summus (highest), which developed from superus (upper), itself from super (above).
summit (English): A peak; the topmost point or surface, as of a...
Definitions
- A peak; the topmost point or surface, as of a...
Ancestry of “summit”, step by step
summit traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English summat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | summat | Something; Somewhat, to a limited extent or... |
| 2 | English | somewhat | To a limited extent or degree; Something; More or... |
| 3 | English | what | Which thing, event, circumstance, etc.: used... |
| 4 | Middle English | what | what |
| 5 | Old English | hwæt | what; why; how many or how much |
| 6 | Old English | -ing | Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action,... |
| 7 | Old English | -tūn | homestead, village, town |
| 8 | Old English | tūn | enclosure, yard; place; dwelling |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | tūn | fence |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | tūną | fence; enclosure |
| 11 | Gaulish | dunum | fort; hill, hillfort |
| 12 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |
via Old French somet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | somet | — |
| 2 | Old French | som | highest part, top of a hill |
| 3 | Latin | summum | top; summit; nominative neuter singular of summus |
| 4 | Latin | summus | highest, greatest, the most high; top, on top |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | supemos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)úp-m̥mo-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |