Where does “Alto Adige” come from?

Alto Adige (Italian) comes from Italian alto, from Latin altus, from Proto-Italic altos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eltós, from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- — to grow, nourish.

Ancestry of “Alto Adige”, step by step

Alto Adige traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian alto

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianaltohigh, tall; deep; loud
2Latinaltushigh, tall; deep; profound
3Proto-Italicaltos—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eltós—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂él-to grow, nourish

via Italian Adige

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ItalianAdigeAdige
2LatinAthesisAdige
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂él- →