Where does “total” come from?
total (Middle French) comes from Old French total, from Medieval Latin totalis, from Latin tōtus, from Latin tot, from Proto-Indo-European toti, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
Ancestry of “total”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | total | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | totalis | total |
| 3 | Latin | tōtus | — |
| 4 | Latin | tot | so many |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | toti | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |