Etymology Explorer › Old French

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

  1. holder; possessor; possession; content

Ancestry of “tenor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintenora holding on, continuance, course, career,...
2Latin-orused to form a third-declension masculine...
3Proto-Italic-ōsCreates masculine action nouns or result nouns...
4Proto-Indo-European-ōsCreates masculine and feminine action nouns or...
5Proto-Indo-European-oss—
6Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “tenor”

  • tenor
  • countertenor
  • tenorist
  • tenorial
  • teneur
  • テナー
  • カウンターテナー
  • teneur
  • tenure
  • tenour
  • tenour
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →