Where does “sonnet” come from?
sonnet (French) comes from German Sonett, from Italian sonetto, from Old Occitan sonet, from Old Occitan son, from Latin sonus, from Latin sonō, from Proto-Italic *swonaō — to sound, resound.
sonnet (French): sonnet
Definitions
- sonnet
Ancestry of “sonnet”, step by step
sonnet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via German Sonett
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Sonett | sonnet |
| 2 | Italian | sonetto | sonnet; first-person singular present indicative... |
| 3 | Old Occitan | sonet | a song |
| 4 | Old Occitan | son | song, sound |
| 5 | Latin | sonus | sound, noise; pitch; speech; tone, character,... |
| 6 | Latin | sonō | to sound, resound, make a sound or noise (and various sounds in-context) |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *swonaō | to sound, resound |
via Middle French sonnet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | sonnet | — |