Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “violoncello” come from?

Violoncello derives from Italian violoncello, diminutive of viola, from Old Occitan viola, from Latin vitula, ultimately from Latin vis meaning force or strength.

violoncello (English): A large stringed instrument of the violin family,...

Definitions

  1. A large stringed instrument of the violin family,...

Ancestry of “violoncello”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianvioloncellovioloncello, cello
2Italianvioloneviolone
3ItalianViola—
4Italian-oneAlterative suffix used to form augmentatives;...
5Latin-ō—
6Proto-Indo-European-ōDerives nouns from roots

Words derived from “violoncello”

  • cello
  • violoncellist
  • cellolike
  • celloist
  • チェロ
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ō →