Etymograph

English

tower

Tower comes from Old English tūr and Old French tour, from Latin turris ‘tower’, possibly via Ancient Greek τύρσις, from a Mediterranean substrate.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτύρσιςas τύρρις‘tower’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEturris‘a tower’
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150tūr
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tour
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1611tower

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτύρσιςas τύρρις‘tower’uncertain
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEturris‘a tower’
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150tūr
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tour
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1611tower

Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a…”

Linked words

through Latin turris ‘a tower’

turret, tor, torr, 3 more

Another origin of tower

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*torrianreconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500touren
  3. Englishtodaytower

Today it means

noun A tall, narrow structure (significantly taller than it is wide, either standing alone or forming part of a larger structure.

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

Etymograph / Ancient Greek τύρσις / tower

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