Where does “undertone” come from?
Undertone comes from English under- plus tone, which derives from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος meaning a stretching or tension, from the verb τείνω meaning to stretch, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ten- meaning to stretch or extend.
undertone (English): An auditory tone of low pitch or volume; An...
Definitions
- An auditory tone of low pitch or volume; An...
Ancestry of “undertone”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | tone | A specific pitch; An interval of a major second;... |
| 2 | Middle English | tone | the one |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |