Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tenacle” come from?

tenacle (English) comes from Latin tenaculum, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

tenacle (English): A stalk or shoot by which a plant holds itself...

Definitions

  1. A stalk or shoot by which a plant holds itself...

Ancestry of “tenacle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintenaculuminstrument for gripping
2Latinteneō—
3Proto-Italictenēōto hold
4Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →