Percussion
/pərˈkʌʃ.ən/noun
The striking of one object against another, especially to produce sound; also, a family of instruments played by striking.
Did you know?Percussion comes from Latin percussiō, from percutere, literally “to strike through,” and the same root also gave English words like “cousin” via a long chain of Latin relatives—proof that language often hides violence inside everyday words.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kew-
“to strike, shake”
Latin
Latin
quatiō
“I shake, strike, or set in motion”
Latin
Latin
percutere
“to strike through, beat, smite”
Late Latin
Latin
percussiō
“a striking, beating”
Middle English
English
percussion
“the act of striking or beating”
Modern English
English
percussion
“the striking of one object against another, especially to produce sound”
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