Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “surdo-mudo” come from?

surdo-mudo (Portuguese) comes from Portuguese surdo, from Old Portuguese sordo, from Latin surdus, from Proto-Indo-European swēr- — heavy.

surdo-mudo (Portuguese): deaf-mute

Definitions

  1. deaf-mute

Ancestry of “surdo-mudo”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PortuguesesurdoUnable to hear; deaf
2Old Portuguesesordo—
3Latinsurdusdeaf; inattentive, unresponsive; silent,...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanswēr-heavy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swēr- →