Where does “tally” come from?
Tally comes from Middle English talien, from Old French taille, from Latin talea meaning a cutting or rod, from Proto-Indo-European teh₂l-.
tally (English): Target sighted; Abbreviation of tally stick; One...
Definitions
- Target sighted; Abbreviation of tally stick; One...
Ancestry of “tally”, step by step
tally traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English tallyho
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tallyho | Used to urge on a fox hunt, especially when the... |
| 2 | French | taïaut | tallyho |
| 3 | Middle French | tahou | — |
| 4 | Old French | taho | — |
| 5 | Old French | ta | your |
| 6 | Latin | tua | inflection of tuus: ## nominative/vocative... |
| 7 | Latin | tuus | your |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | towos | your |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | túh₂ | you, thou |
via English tall
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tall | Having a vertical extent greater than the... |
| 2 | Middle English | tall | — |
| 3 | Old English | tæl | evil-speaking, calumny, disparagement, slander |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | talaz | pliable, bendsome; submissive, hearsome, quick to... |
| 5 | Ottoman Turkish | طالاز | billow, breaker, any large and foaming wave or undulating mass of water |
| 6 | Old Anatolian Turkish | طلز | hurricane, storm |
| 7 | Greek | θάλασσα | sea; storm |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | θάλασσα | sea; the Mediterranean Sea; channel |
via Middle English talien
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | talien | — |