Etymology

saxophone

sax·o·phone
S1A1X8O1P3H4O1N1E1

Today it means: A single-reed instrument musical instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and with a distinctive loop bringing the bell upwards. Full definition →

French saxophone ← Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sek-
  2. Proto-Germanic*sahsą
  3. Proto-West Germanic*sahs
  4. Proto-West Germanic*Sahsō
  5. Old High GermanSahso
  6. Middle High GermanSahse
  7. GermanSachse
  8. GermanSachs
  9. FrenchSax
  10. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  11. Proto-Hellenic*pʰōnā́
  12. Ancient Greekφωνή (phōnḗ)
  13. Frenchsaxophone
  14. English todaysaxophone

Borrowed from French saxophone, a combination of the surname of its inventor Adolphe Sax (1814–1894) + -o- + -phone (“something that makes a sound”), from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice”). The first element surname is a variant of the German Sachs (“Saxon”). Analyzable as Sax + -o- + -phone.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekφωνή all →

telephonefrancophonephononphonationapophonydentiphone-phone-phonicphono-

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.