Where does “toll” come from?
toll (Middle Welsh) comes from Middle English toll, from Old English toll, from Latin toloneum, from Latin teloneum, from Ancient Greek τελώνιον, from Ancient Greek τελώνης, from Ancient Greek ὠνέομαι, from Ancient Greek ὦνος — price.
Ancestry of “toll”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | toll | A toll, tax, or charge; The privilege to levy... |
| 2 | Old English | toll | tax, toll, fare |
| 3 | Latin | toloneum | — |
| 4 | Latin | teloneum | toll booth; custom house |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τελώνιον | toll-house |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τελώνης | a farmer or collector or the tolls, customs or... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὠνέομαι | to buy, purchase |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὦνος | price |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wosno- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wesno- | price |