Where does “touchtone” come from?
touchtone (English) comes from English touch, from Middle English touchen, from Old French tochier, from Vulgar Latin tucco, from Frankish tukkōn, from Proto-Germanic tukkōną, from Proto-Indo-European dewk- — to pull, to draw; to lead.
touchtone (English): Alternative form of touch-tone
Definitions
- Alternative form of touch-tone
Ancestry of “touchtone”, step by step
touchtone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English touch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | touch | Primarily physical senses; Primarily non-physical... |
| 2 | Middle English | touchen | to touch |
| 3 | Old French | tochier | to touch |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | tucco | to knock, strike, offend; to strike; to touch; I... |
| 5 | Frankish | tukkōn | to knock, strike, touch; to touch, hit; to touch |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | tukkōną | to tug, pull; to grab, snatch; to grasp, touch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |
via English tone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tone | A specific pitch; An interval of a major second;... |
| 2 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 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 |