Where does “tautologous” come from?
tautologous (English) comes from English ous, from English ou, from Afrikaans ou, from Dutch oud, from Middle Dutch out, from Old Dutch ald, from Proto-West Germanic ald, from Proto-Germanic aldaz — to grow, nourish.
tautologous (English): Pertaining to a tautology; tautological
Definitions
- Pertaining to a tautology; tautological
Ancestry of “tautologous”, step by step
tautologous traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ous
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ous | plural of ou |
| 2 | English | ou | A probably extinct species of Hawaiian... |
| 3 | Afrikaans | ou | An old fellow, guy, bloke; attributive form of... |
| 4 | Dutch | oud | old |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | out | old |
| 6 | Old Dutch | ald | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | ald | old |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | aldaz | old, grown up |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eltós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂él- | to grow, nourish |
via English tautology
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tautology | Redundant use of words, a pleonasm, an... |
| 2 | Late Latin | tautologia | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ταὐτολογία | tautology |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |