Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “cultūra” come from?

cultūra (Latin) comes from Latin cultus, from Latin colere, from Latin colo, from Latin quelo, from Proto-Italic kʷelō, from Proto-Indo-European kʷéleti, from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- — to turn.

Ancestry of “cultūra”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincultustilled, cultivated, having been cultivated;...
2Latincoleresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
3LatincoloI till, cultivate the land; I inhabit; I protect,...
4Latinquelo—
5Proto-Italickʷelō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeankʷéleti—
7Proto-Indo-Europeankʷel-to turn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- →