Where does “vîol” come from?
vîol (Middle High German) comes from Old High German viola, from Latin viola, from Latin violo, from Proto-Indo-European weyh₁- — to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute.
Ancestry of “vîol”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | viola | — |
| 2 | Latin | viola | violet; second-person singular present active... |
| 3 | Latin | violo | I treat with violence; I maltreat; I violate,... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | weyh₁- | to chase, pursue; to suppress, persecute |