*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of echo-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂gʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *wākʰā́ Ancient Greek ἠχή (ēkhḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy Ancient Greek -ώ (-ṓ) Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ)der. English echo- Derived from Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ē

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

Synonym of sono-. · repetition, imitation.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sweh₂gʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *wākʰā́ Ancient Greek ἠχή (ēkhḗ) Proto-Indo-European *-ṓy Ancient Greek -ώ (-ṓ) Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ)der. English echo- Derived from Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ, “echo, protracted sound”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "grc:ἠχώ<t:echo, protracted sound>",
        "tree": "1",
        "text": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *sweh₂gʰ-der.\nProto-Hellenic *wākʰā́\nAncient Greek ἠχή (ēkhḗ)\nProto-Indo-European *-ṓy\nAncient Greek -ώ (-ṓ)\nAncient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ)der.\nEnglish echo-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"echo, protracted sound\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*sweh₂gʰ-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Hellenic\", \"term\" : \"*wākʰā́\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"grk-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἠχή\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-ṓy\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"-ώ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Ancient Greek\", \"term\" : \"ἠχώ\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"grc\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"echo-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"echo-\">\nDerived from Ancient Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ, “echo, protracted sound”)."
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    [
      "*sweh₂gʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/sweh₂gʰ-"
    ],
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      "*wākʰā́",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Hellenic/wākʰā́"
    ],
    [
      "ἠχή",
      "ἠχή#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "*-ṓy",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-ṓy"
    ],
    [
      "-ώ",
      "-ώ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "ἠχώ",
      "ἠχώ#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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      "ἠχώ",
      "ἠχώ#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
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  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of sono-.",
        "repetition, imitation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for echo- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZWNoby0