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
- A large stringed instrument of the violin family,...
Ancestry of “violoncello”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | violoncello | violoncello, cello |
| 2 | Italian | violone | violone |
| 3 | Italian | Viola | purple, violet |
| 4 | Italian | -one | Alterative suffix used to form augmentatives;... |
| 5 | Latin | -ō | suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |