Where does “esmalte” come from?
esmalte (Old Portuguese) comes from Old Occitan esmalt, from Latin smaltum, from Frankish smalt, from Proto-Germanic smeltaną, from Proto-Indo-European (s)meld- — to soften, to melt.
Ancestry of “esmalte”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Occitan | esmalt | enamel |
| 2 | Latin | smaltum | enamel |
| 3 | Frankish | smalt | melted fat; fat, lard; oil, semi-liquid fat |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | smeltaną | to melt |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)meld- | to soften, to melt |