Where does “turn” come from?
turn (Middle High German) comes from Old High German turn, from Old French torn, from Old French tour, from Old French torner, from Latin tornō, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος, from Proto-Indo-European torh₂no- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.
Ancestry of “turn”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | turn | — |
| 2 | Old French | torn | — |
| 3 | Old French | tour | tower |
| 4 | Old French | torner | to turn; to return; to go back |
| 5 | Latin | tornō | — |
| 6 | Latin | tornus | A turner's wheel, lathe; A potter's wheel |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | τόρνος | A tool similar to a pair of compasses used to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | torh₂no- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | terh₁- | to rub, turn; to drill, pierce |
Words derived from “turn”