Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “cancellare” come from?

cancellare (Latin) comes from Latin cancelli, from Latin cancer, from Proto-Italic kankros, from Proto-Italic karkros, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “cancellare”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincancelliinflection of cancellus: ## genitive singular ##...
2Latincancera crab; a tumor, cancer; a lattice, grid, or...
3Proto-Italickankroscrab
4Proto-Italickarkrosenclosure, barrier
5Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-kr̥-circular
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
7Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →