Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “taxi” come from?

Taxi comes from English taximeter, from French taximètre, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European tag- meaning to touch or handle.

taxi (English): A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys...

Definitions

  1. A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys...

Ancestry of “taxi”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishtaximeter cab—
2EnglishtaximeterA device installed in a taxicab that calculates...
3Frenchtaximètretaximeter
4Frenchtaxamètre—

Words derived from “taxi”

  • taxes
  • taxis
  • taxicab
  • chemotaxis
  • taxiway
  • parataxis
  • phototaxis
  • hypotaxis
  • phyllotaxis
  • geotaxis
  • ligamentotaxis
  • stereotaxis
  • aerotaxis
  • haptotaxis
  • taximan
  • thigmotaxis
  • gravitaxis
  • magnetotaxis
  • thermotaxis
  • homotaxis
  • phonotaxis
  • anemotaxis
  • tropotaxis
  • galvanotaxis
Every word from French taxamètre →