Etymograph

English

falsetto

Falsetto comes from Italian falsetto ‘falsetto (voice)’, from Latin falsus ‘deceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed,…’, and ultimately from fallō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfallōas fallere‘to deceive, beguile, trick, cheat, delude, ensnare, disappoint’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfalsus‘deceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed, having been deceived’
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentfalso‘false’
  4. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentfalsetto‘falsetto (voice)’
  5. Englishtodayfalsetto

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfallōas fallere‘to deceive, beguile, trick, cheat, delude, ensnare, disappoint’
  2. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfalsus‘deceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed, having been deceived’
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentfalso‘false’
  4. Italian, derivedc. 1300–presentfalsetto‘falsetto (voice)’
  5. Englishtodayfalsetto

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- ‘to stumble’

asphalt, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *falsō

fail, 7 more

through Latin fallō ‘to deceive, beguile, trick, cheat, delude,…’

failure, default, fallacy, fallacious, fallible, 7 more

through Latin falsus ‘deceived, tricked, cheated, disappointed,…’

fault, faux, falsify, falsity, 3 more

Today it means

noun The "false" (singing) voice in any human, usually airy and lacking a purity of vowels; created by using the next highest vocal folds above those used for speech and normal range singing. It is commonly confused with the head voice register.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Latin fallō / falsetto

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