Where does “signal” come from?
signal (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German Signal, from French signal, from Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signālis, from Latin signum, from Proto-Italic seknom, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
signal (Serbo-Croatian): signal
Ancestry of “signal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | Signal | signal |
| 2 | French | signal | signal |
| 3 | Old French | segnal | emblem; badge; signature; distinguishing mark... |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | signale | signal |
| 5 | Latin | signālis | — |
| 6 | Latin | signum | visible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | seknom | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |