Where does “texting” come from?
Texting comes from English text, derived from Old French texte, from Latin textus, the past participle of texere meaning to weave, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European teḱ-.
texting (English): present participle of text; the use of a mobile...
Definitions
- present participle of text; the use of a mobile...
Ancestry of “texting”, step by step
texting traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English text
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | text | A writing consisting of multiple glyphs,... |
| 2 | Middle English | text | — |
| 3 | Old French | texte | text |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | textus | the Scriptures, text, treatise; text |
| 5 | Latin | textus | woven, having been woven; texture, structure;... |
| 6 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |
via English messaging
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | messaging | present participle of message; The transmission... |
| 2 | English | message | A communication, or what is communicated; any... |
| 3 | Old French | message | message; messenger |
| 4 | Latin | missāticum | message |
| 5 | Latin | missus | sent, having been sent, caused to go, having been... |
| 6 | Latin | mittō | to send, dispatch, cause to go, let go, release, discharge |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | meitō | to put forth, put out |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | meyth₂- | to hurt; to exchange, remove; to replace, to... |