Where does “finché” come from?
finché (Italian) comes from Italian fino, from Vulgar Latin finus, from Latin fīnis, from Proto-Indo-European dʰnh₂-.
finché (Italian): as long as
Ancestry of “finché”, step by step
finché traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian fino
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | fino | till, until, as far as; thin, fine |
| 2 | Vulgar Latin | finus | fine |
| 3 | Latin | fīnis | end |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰnh₂- | — |
via Italian ché
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | ché | Clipping of perché., comparable to 'cause in... |
| 2 | Latin | quod | nominative neuter singular of quī; accusative... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷód | what |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷós | who |