English
alt
Alt comes from Latin altus ‘high’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltósreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltus‘high’
- Englishearliest quotation 1748alt
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltósreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltus‘high’
- Englishearliest quotation 1748alt
Earliest quotation: 1748, Samuel Richardson: “I was, however, glad at my heart, that Mrs.…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’
as, all, else, el, element, adult, ultimate, ellen, alien, outrage, ultra, ou, qualification, adolescent, alternate, alumni, abolish, alpine, alter, alias, proletariat, retaliate, alimony, alum, alibi, ulterior, parallax, alp, altruism, coalesce, aad, foetal, althea, withal, 64 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós
old, elder, auld, eld, 14 more
through Latin altus ‘high’
altitude, altar, haughty, alto, haut, altimeter, exalt, 13 more
Another origin of alt
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-‘grow, nourish’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltósreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltus‘tall, lofty’
- Italianc. 1300–presentalto‘high, tall’
- Germanc. 1650–presentAlt‘alto’
- Englishtodayalt
Today it means
noun Of a voice or instrument, high pitch; especially, the octave above the top line of the treble stave.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / alt