Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “turns” come from?

Turn comes from Middle English turnen, Old French torner, and Latin tornare, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European terh₁-.

turns (English): Third-person singular simple present indicative...

Definitions

  1. Third-person singular simple present indicative...

Ancestry of “turns”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishturn"to make a non-linear physical movement."; "To...
2Middle Englishturnento turn
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
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →