Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “Letras” come from?

Letras (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese letras, from Portuguese letra, from Old Portuguese letra, 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 “Letras”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Portugueseletrasplural of letra; lyrics
2Portugueseletraletter; calligraphy , handwriting; font
3Old Portugueseletra—
4Latinlitteraa letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
5Latinlītera—
6Old Latinleitera—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leyH-to smear
8Proto-Indo-Europeanleyh₂-to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →