Where does “verbal” come from?
Verbal comes from Old French verbal, from Late Latin verbalis, from Latin -alis (suffix forming adjectives) combined with Latin verbum meaning word or speech.
verbal (English): Of or relating to words; Concerned with the...
Definitions
- Of or relating to words; Concerned with the...
Ancestry of “verbal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | verbal | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | verbalis | belonging to a word; wordy, verbal |
| 3 | Latin | verbum | word; proverb, saying; verb |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |