Where does “tenor” come from?
tenor (Old French) comes from Latin tenor, from Latin -or, from Proto-Italic -ōs, from Proto-Indo-European -ōs, from Proto-Indo-European -oss, from Proto-Indo-European -os — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
tenor (Old French): holder; possessor; possession; content
Definitions
- holder; possessor; possession; content
Ancestry of “tenor”, step by step
tenor traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin tenor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | tenor | a holding on, continuance, course, career,... |
| 2 | Latin | -or | used to form a third-declension masculine... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | -ōs | Creates masculine action nouns or result nouns... |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | -ōs | Creates masculine and feminine action nouns or... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -oss | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |
via Old French tenir
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |