This is a list of English words that may be of Etruscan origin, and were borrowed through Latin, often via French. The Etruscan origin of most of these words is disputed, and some may be of Indo-European or other origin. The question is made more complex by the fact that the Etruscans borrowed many Greek words in modified form. Typically if a Latin word has an unknown, uncertain or disputed origin, it is considered a possible candidate for deriving in whole or in part from an Etruscan word; however, native Etruscan must then be distinguished from Greek. If no Etruscan word is clearly identifiable sometimes an attempt is made to reconstruct one. Etruscan derivations therefore are highly variable in probability; that is, some are highly speculative and others more likely.
ace
from Middle English
aas, from Old French
as, from Latin
as, "a whole, a unit, copper coin", possibly Etruscan.
As was a Roman coin and was also a unit of weight equal to about one troy pound.
antenna
from
antenna<
antemna, "yard-arm, sail." Possibly Etruscan *antithemna>*ant(th)emna from Greek ανάτηθήμένος anatithēmenos, something set up.
arena
from
arēna "arena"<
harēna, "arena, sand"<archaic
hasēna<Sabine
fasēna, unknown Etruscan word as the basis for
fas- with Etruscan ending
-ēna.
autumn
from
autumnus "autumn." Just as Etruscan
veltha, an earth god, appears as Latin Vola or Olta and is in Voltumna and Vertumnus, so the parallel construction autumnus ought to come from Etruscan autu-, related to avil, "year": *av(i)-to-m(e)nos, with loss of the l. There are some names with both l and t: avlethaium, authnal, avtle, and so on, which appear related to autu or auta in Venetic, the idea being that autumn signifies the passing of the year.
belt
from
balteus, "sword belt." The sole connection between this word and Etruscan is a statement by Marcus Terentius Varro that it was of Etruscan origin. All else is speculation.
catamite
Latin, from Etruscan
catmite, from the Ancient Greek
Ganymede, cupbearer to Zeus.
ceremony
oldest form cærimonia, obscure, perhaps Etruscan
cup
defenestration, fenestra
element
from
elementum, 'letter'
histrionic
from
histrionicus, from
histrio, "actor"
letter
from Old French
lettre, from Latin
littera, which may have derived, via Etruscan, from the Greek "διφθέρα" (writing tablet)
mantissa
market
military
Etruscan or perhaps related to Greek
homilos, "assembled crowd" (compare
homily)
mundane
from
mundus, 'earth', from
munth, 'land'
mutule
palace, palate
One of the seven hills of Rome. Either from Latin
palus "stake" or the Etruscan shepherd goddess
Pales
people
From Latin
populus by way of Old French
peuple, possibly of Etruscan origin.
person
from Middle English
persone, from Old French
persone, from Latin
persona, "mask", probably from Etruscan
phersu, "mask".
satellite
from Latin
satelles, meaning "bodyguard, attendant", perhaps from Etruscan
satnal.
scurrilous
Serge (first name)
serve
from
servus, 'a slave'
spurious
triumph
From Old Latin
triumpus, probably a loan word via Etruscan from Greek thriambos, a hymn to Dionysus.
style
from
stilus (indirectly)
vernacular
from
vernaculus, 'domestic', from
verna, 'a native slave'
viburnum
vulture
from Latin.
