Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tower” come from?

Tower comes from English tow, Chinese 兒, Latin taurus, Latin -are, Latin -arius, and Proto-Indo-European terh₁-.

tower (English): A very tall iron-framed structure, usually...

Definitions

  1. A very tall iron-framed structure, usually...

Ancestry of “tower”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtour—
2Old Frenchtourtower
3Old Frenchtornerto turn; to return; to go back
4Latintornō—
5LatintornusA turner's wheel, lathe; A potter's wheel
6Ancient GreekτόρνοςA tool similar to a pair of compasses used to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeantorh₂no-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “tower”

  • watchtower
  • towery
  • towerlike
  • towerless
  • overtower
  • multitower
  • stairtower
  • supertower
  • outtower
  • towerscape
  • bell tower
  • megatower
  • 타워
  • tawer
  • tŵr
  • taua
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →