Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tent” come from?

Tent derives from Spanish tinto through Latin tinctus, the past participle of tingo meaning to dye or color, ultimately from the root tentare and ad-.

tent (English): A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins,...

Definitions

  1. A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins,...

Ancestry of “tent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtentattention
2Middle Englishattentattention
3Old Frenchatenteattention, intention
4Latinattentasecond-person singular present active imperative...
5Latinattenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
6LatinattendoI pay attention, attend; I direct or turn toward
7Latinad-to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it...
8Latinīn-—
9Latinîn—
10Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
11Proto-Italicenin
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “tent”

  • tentmaker
  • tentlike
  • tentage
  • tentmate
  • tentmaking
  • tentpole
  • tentless
  • tentiform
  • tentful
  • tentwise
  • untent
  • tent-maker
  • tentwallah
  • tentwort
  • тент
  • tendumi
  • tendo
  • tendaro
  • tendarfajro
  • 텐트
  • เต็นท์
  • tanti
  • tēneti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →