Where does “typeface” come from?
typeface (English) comes from English type, from Middle English type, from Latin typus, from Ancient Greek τύπος, from Ancient Greek τύπτω, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tewp-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)tew- — to push, to hit.
typeface (English): The particular design of some type, font, or a...
Definitions
- The particular design of some type, font, or a...
Ancestry of “typeface”, step by step
typeface traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English type
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | type | A grouping based on shared characteristics; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | type | symbol, figure, emblem |
| 3 | Latin | typus | figure, image; type, form, sort, kind; form,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τύπος | A blow, pressing; The results of a blow: mark,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τύπτω | to beat, strike, smite; to beat, strike oneself |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tewp- | to push, to stick |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)tew- | to push, to hit |