Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “percussion” come from?

percussion (Old French) comes from Latin percussiō, from Latin -tiō, from Latin dissertātiō, from Latin dissertus, from Latin disserere, from Latin dis-, from Latin calceus, from Latin calx — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.

Ancestry of “percussion”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinpercussiō—
2Latin-tiō—
3Latindissertātiō—
4Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
5Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
6Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
7Latincalceusshoe
8Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
9Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

Words derived from “percussion”

  • percussion
  • percussionist
Every word from Ancient Greek χάλιξ →