Where does “scherzo” come from?
scherzo (Italian) comes from Italian scherzare, from Lombardic skerzan, from Proto-Germanic skertaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerǝd- — to dance, jump.
scherzo (Italian): joke, jest, trick, hoax, frolic; joke, trifle,...
Definitions
- joke, jest, trick, hoax, frolic; joke, trifle,...
Ancestry of “scherzo”, step by step
scherzo traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian scherzare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | scherzare | to joke, kid, jest, frolic, be funny; to gamble,... |
| 2 | Lombardic | skerzan | to jump merrily, enjoy oneself, jest |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | skertaną | to cut off; to leap, jump, spring; to jest, joke |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kerǝd- | to dance, jump |
via Old Italian scherzare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Italian | scherzare | — |