Where does “symbol” come from?
symbol (Welsh) comes from English symbol, from French symbole, from Latin symbolum, from Ancient Greek σύμβολον, from Ancient Greek σῠμβάλλω, from Ancient Greek βάλλω, from Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō.
symbol (Welsh): symbol
Definitions
- symbol
Ancestry of “symbol”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | symbol | A character or glyph representing an idea,... |
| 2 | French | symbole | symbol |
| 3 | Latin | symbolum | symbol, token; creed |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | σύμβολον | a sign or token by which one infers a thing; a... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σῠμβάλλω | I throw together, dash together, compare,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | βάλλω | I throw, cast, hurl; I let fall; I strike, touch |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *gʷəlnō | — |