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
Ancestry of “tête-de-violon”, step by step
| 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 | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tristh₂s | a third party standing, after the two parties to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | steh₂- | to stand |