Etymograph

English

arco

Arco comes from Italian arco ‘bow’, from Latin arcus ‘arc, arch’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷo- ‘bow, arrow’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷo-1‘bow, arrow’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarcus1‘arc, arch’
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentarco2‘bow’
  4. Englishtodayarco2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Italian arco
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English arco

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷo-Wiktionary, Italian arco‘bow, arrow’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarcusWiktionary, Italian arco‘arc, arch’
  3. Italianc. 1300–presentarcoWiktionary, English arco‘bow’
  4. EnglishtodayarcoWiktionary, English arco

Linked words

through Latin arcus ‘arc, arch’

arc, arch, arcade, arson, arcuate, 12 more

Today it means

adv A note in string instrument musical notation indicating that the bow is to be used in the usual way, usually following a passage that is played pizzicato.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “arco”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Italian arco. 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 *h₂erkʷo- / arco

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