Etymograph

English

altissimo

Altissimo comes from Italian altissimo, from alto ‘high, tall’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-1‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altos1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltus1‘high’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentalto2‘high, tall’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentaltissimo2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2007altissimo2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Italian alto
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English altissimo
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Ben Ratliff, Michael Brecker Dies at 57; Prolific Jazz Saxophonist: “He could fold the full pitch range of the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂el-Wiktionary, Italian alto‘to grow, nourish’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eltósWiktionary, Italian altoreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*altosWiktionary, Italian altoreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEaltusWiktionary, Italian alto‘high’
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentaltoWiktionary, English altissimo‘high, tall’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentaltissimoWiktionary, English altissimo
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2007altissimoWiktionary, English altissimo. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2007, Ben Ratliff, Michael Brecker Dies at 57; Prolific Jazz Saxophonist: “He could fold the full pitch range of the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- ‘to grow, nourish’

as, all, else, adult, el, element, alien, ellen, ultimate, ultra, outrage, alternate, ou, alumni, alter, qualification, adolescent, alpine, abolish, alias, alum, proletariat, retaliate, alibi, alp, ulterior, parallax, alimony, coalesce, altruism, foetal, aad, althea, withal, 62 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós

old, elder, auld, eld, 13 more

through Latin altus ‘high’

altitude, altar, haughty, haut, exalt, altimeter, 12 more

through Italian alto ‘high, tall’

alt, alto, 1 more

Today it means

noun The highest register of a woodwind instrument, or a specific note in this register

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “altissimo”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Italian alto. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- / altissimo

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