Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “to-” come from?

to- (English) comes from English to, from Middle English to, from Middle English tone, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

to- (English): apart, away, asunder, in pieces; expressing...

Definitions

  1. apart, away, asunder, in pieces; expressing...

Ancestry of “to-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtoA particle used for marking the following verb as...
2Middle Englishtotoe; to; too
3Middle Englishtonethe one
4LatintonusThe stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;...
5Ancient Greekτόνοςrope, cord; chord; tone, note
6Proto-Hellenictónosrope, cord; tension
7Proto-Indo-Europeantónossomething stretched; chord, fiber, string
8Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

Words derived from “to-”

  • tosol
  • tomorning
  • toruffle
  • to-night
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →