Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “turnsole” come from?

turnsole (English) comes from French tournesol, from Italian tornasole, from Italian tornare, from Latin tornō, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος, from Proto-Indo-European torh₂no-, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

turnsole (English): The heliotrope; so named because its flowers are...

Definitions

  1. The heliotrope; so named because its flowers are...

Ancestry of “turnsole”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtournesolsunflower; heliotrope; litmus
2Italiantornasole—
3Italiantornareto return, come 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- →