Words from Etruscan
4 words in Curio passed through Etruscan on their way into English.
About Etruscan
Tyrsenian (Tyrrhenian) family, related to Raetic and Lemnian; a Pre-Indo-European language · no native speakers today
Where
Etruria, central Italy, including Etruria Padana and Etruria Campana
When
Speakers
No reliable count
No census of its speakers exists.
Family path
- Etruscan
- Old LatinLatin
- English
Where it came from
Etruscan was the language of the Etruscan civilization in Etruria, in what is now Italy. Most linguists place it in the Tyrrhenian family, closely related to Raetic in the Alps and to Lemnian on Lemnos, and not in the Indo-European family. Its alphabet came from the Greek alphabet, specifically the Euboean script brought to southern Italy by Greek colonists.
Source: Wikipedia
The words, A to Z
- arena
Before it meant a stage for spectacle, this word just meant dirt underfoot.
- citrus
The tangy fruit family may share roots with a tree famous for its fragrant wood.
- olive
This small fruit's name may trace back to a language spoken by the Etruscans, long before Rome ruled the Mediterranean.
- satellite
Before it meant something circling a planet, this word meant someone circling a powerful person.