Where does “tonality” come from?
Tonality comes from French tonalité, formed from Latin tonus meaning tension or tone, plus the Latin suffix -itas, ultimately deriving from the Ancient Greek verb τείνω meaning to stretch.
tonality (English): The system of seven tones built on a tonic key;...
Definitions
- The system of seven tones built on a tonic key;...
Ancestry of “tonality”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | tonalité | tonality |
| 2 | French | -ité | Alternative form of -té, giving a quality or... |
| 3 | Latin | -īta | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -ίτης | Suffix forming a masculine noun: one connected... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πολῑ́της | citizen |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -της | Forms nouns representing a state of being; Added... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | -tāts | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ts | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -teh₂ | Used to form nouns representing state of being |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tós | Creates verbal adjectives from verb stems |