Etymology Explorer › Italian

Where does “contrabbassista” come from?

contrabbassista (Italian) comes from Italian contrabbasso, from Italian basso, from Latin Bassus, from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- — to step.

contrabbassista (Italian): musician who plays the double bass

Definitions

  1. musician who plays the double bass

Ancestry of “contrabbassista”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiancontrabbassodouble bass
2Italianbassolow; short; narrow, thin
3LatinBassus—
4Ancient Greekβάσιςstep; rhythm; foot
5Proto-Hellenicgʷə́tisstep
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtisstep, act of walking
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →