Where does “tournesol” come from?
tournesol (French) comes from Italian tornasole, from Italian tornare, from Latin tornō, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος, from Proto-Indo-European torh₂no-, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.
tournesol (French): sunflower; heliotrope; litmus
Definitions
- sunflower; heliotrope; litmus
Ancestry of “tournesol”, step by step
tournesol traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian tornasole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | tornasole | litmus |
| 2 | Italian | tornare | to return, come back |
| 3 | Latin | tornō | to turn |
| 4 | Latin | tornus | A turner's wheel, lathe; A potter's wheel |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τόρνος | A tool similar to a pair of compasses used to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | torh₂no- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |
via Old French tournesole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tournesole | — |
| 2 | Latin | tornāre | — |