Where does “tortou” come from?
tortou (Middle English) comes from Old French tortüe, from Old Occitan tortuga, from Late Latin tartarucha, from Latin tartarūchus, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος, from Ancient Greek ἔχω, from Proto-Hellenic hékʰō, from Proto-Indo-European seǵʰ- — to hold; to overpower.
Ancestry of “tortou”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tortüe | — |
| 2 | Old Occitan | tortuga | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | tartarucha | — |
| 4 | Latin | tartarūchus | — |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ταρταροῦχος | holder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἔχω | I have, possess, contain, own; I hold; I have... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | hékʰō | to have |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰ- | to hold; to overpower |