Where does “halvtone” come from?
halvtone (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål tone, from Old Norse tóni, from Latin tonus, from Ancient Greek τόνος, from Proto-Hellenic tónos, from Proto-Indo-European tónos, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
halvtone (Norwegian Bokmål): a semitone, or halftone (US)
Definitions
- a semitone, or halftone (US)
Ancestry of “halvtone”, step by step
halvtone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Norwegian Bokmål tone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norwegian Bokmål | tone | a tone |
| 2 | Old Norse | tóni | — |
| 3 | Latin | tonus | The stretching or straining of a rope; A strain;... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τόνος | rope, cord; chord; tone, note |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | tónos | rope, cord; tension |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tónos | something stretched; chord, fiber, string |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |