Where does “pentatonico” come from?
pentatonico (Italian) comes from Italian tonico, from Ancient Greek τονικός, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
pentatonico (Italian): pentatonic
Ancestry of “pentatonico”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | tonico | tonic; toner |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | τονικός | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |