Where does “cēna” come from?
cēna (Latin) comes from Old Latin cesna, from Proto-Italic kertsnā, from Proto-Indo-European kért-s-nh₂, from Proto-Indo-European skert-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
Ancestry of “cēna”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Latin | cesna | — |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | kertsnā | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | kért-s-nh₂ | portion |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | skert- | to cut |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |