Where does “bass” come from?

bass (Latvian) comes from Italian basso, from Latin Bassus, from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- — to step.

bass (Latvian): bass; bare, unshod

Definitions

  1. bass; bare, unshod

Ancestry of “bass”, step by step

bass traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian basso

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianbassolow; short; narrow, thin
2LatinBassusthick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base
3Ancient Greekβάσιςstep; rhythm; foot
4Proto-Hellenicgʷə́tisstep
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʷémtisstep, act of walking
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʷem-to step

via Proto-Balto-Slavic basás

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Balto-Slavicbasásbarefooted, unshod
2Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰosósbare, barefoot
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰos-to sally forth, barge, hurtle out; bare, barefoot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis →Every word from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis →