Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “tortüe” come from?

tortüe (Old French) comes from Old Occitan tortuga, from Late Latin tartarucha, from Latin tartarūchus, from Ancient Greek ταρταροῦχος, from Ancient Greek ἔχω, from Proto-Hellenic hékʰō, from Proto-Indo-European seǵʰ- — to hold; to overpower.

Ancestry of “tortüe”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Occitantortuga—
2Late Latintartarucha—
3Latintartarūchus—
4Ancient Greekταρταροῦχοςholder of Tartaros, Tartarus, the land of the...
5Ancient GreekἔχωI have, possess, contain, own; I hold; I have...
6Proto-Hellenichékʰō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanseǵʰ-to hold; to overpower

Words derived from “tortüe”

  • turtle
  • turtleneck
  • turtling
  • turtlehead
  • turtleback
  • turtlelike
  • turtlenecked
  • turtler
  • nonturtle
  • turtleweed
  • beturtlenecked
  • Turtlemania
  • turtledom
  • tortou
  • tortu
  • totol
Every word from Proto-Indo-European seǵʰ- →