Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tuple” come from?

Tuple derives from Middle French quintuple, which combines Latin quintus (fifth) and -plus (fold), originally denoting something repeated five times.

tuple (English): A finite sequence of terms; A single row in a...

Definitions

  1. A finite sequence of terms; A single row in a...

Ancestry of “tuple”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishquintuplehaving five parts or members; five times as much;...
2Middle Frenchquintuple—
3Latinquīntuplus—
4Latin-plus-fold
5Latinplicāre—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →