Etymology Explorer › Old Portuguese

Where does “letra” come from?

letra (Old Portuguese) comes from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH-, from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

Ancestry of “letra”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinlitteraa letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
2Latinlītera—
3Old Latinleitera—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leyH-to smear
5Proto-Indo-Europeanleyh₂-to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

Words derived from “letra”

  • Letras
  • letras
  • letra
  • soletrar
  • letrinha
  • letreiro
  • letrista
  • letra
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →