Where does “tête-de-violon” come from?
tête-de-violon (French) comes from French tête, from Middle French teste, from Old French teste, from Latin testis, from Latin terstis, from Latin trīstis, from Proto-Indo-European tristh₂s, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- — to stand.
tête-de-violon (French): fiddlehead
Definitions
- fiddlehead
Ancestry of “tête-de-violon”, step by step
tête-de-violon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French tête
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | tête | head; header; a bright spark, a quick study |
| 2 | Middle French | teste | head |
| 3 | Old French | teste | head |
| 4 | Latin | testis | witness; one who testifies or attests; testicle |
| 5 | Latin | terstis | — |
| 6 | Latin | trīstis | sad, unhappy, melancholy, morose |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tristh₂s | a third party standing, after the two parties to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |
via French violon
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | violon | violin; violinist; jail |
| 2 | French | violé | past participle of violer |
| 3 | Old French | viole | — |
| 4 | Latin | viola | violet; second-person singular present active... |
| 5 | Latin | violo | I treat with violence; I maltreat; I violate,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |