Where does “mezzo” come from?
mezzo (French) comes from Italian mezzosoprano, from Italian soprano, from Vulgar Latin superanus, from Latin super, from Latin eks-uper, from Proto-Indo-European upéri, from Proto-Indo-European upér, from Proto-Indo-European upó.
mezzo (French): mezzo, mezzo-soprano
Definitions
- mezzo, mezzo-soprano
Ancestry of “mezzo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | mezzosoprano | mezzo-soprano |
| 2 | Italian | soprano | a singer, commonly a woman, with a register... |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | superanus | — |
| 4 | Latin | super | "accusative" above, on the top of, upon;... |
| 5 | Latin | eks-uper | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | upéri | alternative reconstruction of *upér |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | upér | above; over |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |