Etymology Explorer › Italian

Where does “balestra” come from?

balestra (Italian) comes from Late Latin ballistra, from Latin ballista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα, from Ancient Greek βάλλω, from Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō.

balestra (Italian): crossbow; leaf spring

Definitions

  1. crossbow; leaf spring

Ancestry of “balestra”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinballistra—
2Latinballistaballista
3Ancient Greekβαλλίστρα—
4Ancient GreekβάλλωI throw, cast, hurl; I let fall; I strike, touch
5Proto-Hellenic*gʷəlnō—

Words derived from “balestra”

  • sbalestrare
  • sbalestramento
  • pesce balestra
  • balestriere
Every word from Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō →