Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “teatime” come from?

Teatime comes from English tea, Dutch thee, Proto-Sino-Tibetan s-la, Latin thema, and Ancient Greek θέμα, ultimately from the verb τίθημι meaning to place or set.

teatime (English): The traditional time, in the late afternoon, for...

Definitions

  1. The traditional time, in the late afternoon, for...

Ancestry of “teatime”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTime—
2Middle Englishtymethyme; time; A specific duration or period of...
3Old Frenchthym—
4Latinthymumthyme; accusative singular of thymus
5Ancient Greekθύμονthyme
6Ancient GreekθύωI offer in sacrifice, slay, burn, immolate; I...
7Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →