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.
turn (Middle High German): tower
Definitions
- tower
Ancestry of “turn”, step by step
turn traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old High German turn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | turn | tower |
| 2 | Old French | torn | — |
| 3 | Old French | tour | tower |
| 4 | Old French | torner | to turn; to return; to go back |
| 5 | Latin | tornō | to turn |
| 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 |
via Old High German torn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old High German | torn | — |