Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “clavecin” come from?

clavecin (French) comes from Medieval Latin clavicymbalum, from Latin clāvis, from Ancient Greek κλείς, from Proto-Hellenic klāwī́ds, from Proto-Indo-European kleh₂u- — nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for...

clavecin (French): harpsichord

Definitions

  1. harpsichord

Ancestry of “clavecin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Medieval Latinclavicymbalum—
2Latinclāvis—
3Ancient GreekκλείςSomething used to lock/unlock: key, bolt, bar; A...
4Proto-Hellenicklāwī́ds—
5Proto-Indo-Europeankleh₂u-nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for...

Words derived from “clavecin”

  • клавесин
  • clavecineau
  • claveciniste
  • klawesyn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kleh₂u- →