Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “tor” come from?

tor (Old French) comes from French tour, from Latin tornus, from Ancient Greek τόρνος, from Proto-Indo-European torh₂no-, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

tor (Old French): tower; bull

Definitions

  1. tower; bull

Ancestry of “tor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtourtower; rook; apartment building
2LatintornusA turner's wheel, lathe; A potter's wheel
3Ancient GreekτόρνοςA tool similar to a pair of compasses used to...
4Proto-Indo-Europeantorh₂no-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce

Words derived from “tor”

  • tower
  • tore
  • tor
  • Torquay
  • tur
  • watchtower
  • terret
  • towery
  • towerlike
  • tourelle
  • towerless
  • overtower
  • multitower
  • stairtower
  • supertower
  • towerscape
  • outtower
  • megatower
  • bell tower
  • torlike
  • тур
  • тура
  • tourelle
  • tour
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →