Etymology Map
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Saxophone

3 stages from French to English.

Today it means a brass wind instrument with a single reed, common in jazz

Where does the word "saxophone" come from? It comes from French Sax, passing through French before entering English (1850s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
Sax
French · 1814
"a family name"
Adolphe Sax was born in 1814 at Dinant in Belgium, son of an instrument maker
2
Stage 2 of 3
saxophone
French · 1846
"Sax's instrument"
Sax + Greek phōnē 'voice, sound'; he patented the instrument in Paris in 1846
3
Stage 3 of 3
saxophone
English · 1850s
"reed wind instrument"
first a military-band instrument, it became the voice of jazz from the 1920s through players like Coleman Hawkins and later Charlie Parker
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Read the full story

Saxophone’s story begins in French: Sax meant “a family name.” Adolphe Sax was born in 1814 at Dinant in Belgium, son of an instrument maker. Within French, it grew into saxophone by 1846. Sax + Greek phōnē 'voice, sound'; he patented the instrument in Paris in 1846. It reached English by 1850s as saxophone. First a military-band instrument, it became the voice of jazz from the 1920s through players like Coleman Hawkins and later Charlie Parker. Today, saxophone means a brass wind instrument with a single reed, common in jazz.