Where does “tanto” come from?
Tanto derives from Japanese 短刀, which combines Japanese に with Latin tantus, ultimately from Latin tam and Proto-Indo-European séh₂ and só.
tanto (English): A common type of Japanese dagger or knife....
Definitions
- A common type of Japanese dagger or knife....
Ancestry of “tanto”, step by step
tanto traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian tanto
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | tanto | so much, so many; much, many; such |
| 2 | Latin | tantus | of such size, of such measure; so much, so great |
| 3 | Latin | tam | so, so much, to such an extent, to such a degree |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | téh₂m | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
via Japanese 短刀
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 短刀 | A small sword or knife; often used as a secondary... |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 短刀 | dagger |
| 3 | Middle Chinese | 短 | short |