Where does “twitter” come from?
Twitter descends from Middle English twitren, Old English twiterian, and Proto-Germanic twitwizōną, a word of imitative origin depicting rapid, tremulous movement or sound.
twitter (English): The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by...
Definitions
- The sound of a succession of chirps as uttered by...
Ancestry of “twitter”, step by step
twitter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English twitren
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | twitren | — |
| 2 | Old English | twiterian | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | twitwizōną | To twitter; chirp |
via Middle English twiteren
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | twiteren | — |