Where does “transpose” come from?
Transpose comes from Old French transposer, from Latin transponere, meaning to place across, derived from ponere, to place or put, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European terh₂-, to cross over.
transpose (English): To reverse or change the order of (two or more things); to swap or interchange
Definitions
- To reverse or change the order of (two or more things); to swap or interchange
Ancestry of “transpose”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | transposer | — |
| 2 | Latin | transpositus | transferred |
| 3 | Latin | transpono | I place over or across; I transfer |
| 4 | Latin | trāns | across, beyond |
| 5 | Latin | Padus | the River Po |
| 6 | Lepontic | Bodincus | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰudʰmḗn | bottom |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewbʰ- | deep |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |