Where does “svelto” come from?

svelto (Italian) comes from Italian svellere, from Vulgar Latin exvellere, from Latin vellere, from Latin vello, from Proto-Italic welnō, from Proto-Indo-European welh₃- — to hit, to strike.

svelto (Italian): quick; brisk; quick-witted

Definitions

  1. quick; brisk; quick-witted

Ancestry of “svelto”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiansvellereto eradicate, to root
2Vulgar Latinexvellere—
3Latinvellereablative singular of vellus; second-person...
4LatinvelloI pluck out; I depilate; I pull or tear down; I...
5Proto-Italicwelnōto pull, tear
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₃-to hit, to strike

Words derived from “svelto”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European welh₃- →Every word from Proto-Italic welnō →Every word from Latin vello →