Where does “ton” come from?
Ton comes from English tun, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ten- meaning to stretch or extend.
ton (English): A unit of weight equal to 2240 pounds or 2000...
Definitions
- A unit of weight equal to 2240 pounds or 2000...
Ancestry of “ton”, step by step
ton traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English tun
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tun | A large cask; an oblong vessel bulging in the... |
| 2 | Middle English | tunne | cask; barrel |
| 3 | Old English | tunne | barrel, cask |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | tunnǭ | — |
| 5 | Latin | tunna | tun, box |
| 6 | Proto-Celtic | tondā | skin; surface, skin |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tend- | to stretch, to extend; to split, cut off |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | temh₂- | to stretch, string; to cut |
via French ton
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | ton | Your, thy; Tone; Tone, shade |
| 2 | Old French | ton | your |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |
via Old French tonne
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tonne | ton; cask |