Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “instrument” come from?

instrument (Old French) comes from Latin īnstrūmentum, from Latin -mentum, from Latin -menta, from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.

Ancestry of “instrument”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinīnstrūmentum—
2Latin-mentuminstrument, medium, or result of; e.g....
3Latin-mentanominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural...
4Proto-Indo-European-mn̥Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs

Words derived from “instrument”

  • instrument
  • instrumentation
  • reinstrumentation
  • microinstrument
  • instrumentational
  • postinstrumentation
  • instrumentary
  • reinstrument
  • instrumentlike
  • instrumentist
  • hyperinstrument
  • instrumently
  • instrument
  • instrumenter
  • slaginstrument
  • instrument
  • meetinstrument
  • instrument
  • enstrüman
  • instrument
  • instrument
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ →