Where does “rhetor” come from?
rhetor (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek ῥήτωρ, from Ancient Greek εἴρω, from Proto-Hellenic wéřřō, from Proto-Indo-European wéryeti, from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- — to speak, say.
Ancestry of “rhetor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | ῥήτωρ | orator, public speaker; politician, statesman;... |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | εἴρω | I tie, join, fasten, string together; I insert;... |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | wéřřō | to say, to tell |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wéryeti | to be saying |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | werh₁- | to speak, say |