Tedesco
/təˈdɛskoʊ/noun
An Italian-derived English term meaning German or Germanic, especially in historical, artistic, or cultural contexts.
Did you know?The ancestor of tedesco was used in Latin to distinguish the everyday language of ordinary people from the learned language of the Roman Church: Latin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*þeudō
“People, nation, or tribe”
Late Antiquity
Gothic and other Germanic languages
*þeudiskaz
“Of the people; belonging to the vernacular rather than an elite or foreign language”
8th Century
Medieval Latin
theodiscus
“The language of the people; a Latin label for Germanic vernacular speech”
Old High German
Old High German
diutisc
“Popular or vernacular, later specifically German”
Middle Italian
Italian
tedesco
“German; derived through regional medieval forms from the Germanic term”
Modern English
English
tedesco
“German or Germanic, chiefly in specialized historical, artistic, or cultural usage”