Where does “def” come from?

def (Serbo-Croatian) comes from Ottoman Turkish دف, from Classical Persian دف, from Arabic دف, from Middle Persian 𐭣𐭯, from Sumerian 𒁾 — tablet; cylinder seal, sealed tablet.

def (Serbo-Croatian): daf; tambourine

Definitions

  1. daf; tambourine

Ancestry of “def”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ottoman Turkishدفdaf
2Classical Persianدف—
3Arabicدفto flap the wings; side, lateral surface;...
4Middle Persian𐭣𐭯daf
5Sumerian𒁾tablet; cylinder seal, sealed tablet
Every word from Sumerian 𒁾 →Every word from Middle Persian 𐭣𐭯 →Every word from Arabic دف →