Where does “ancella” come from?
ancella (Italian) comes from Latin ancilla, from Latin ancula, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
ancella (Italian): handmaid, maid
Ancestry of “ancella”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | ancilla | maid, slave-girl |
| 2 | Latin | ancula | maidservant |
| 3 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |