Where does “être” come from?

être (Bourbonnais-Berrichon) comes from Old French estre, from Late Latin essere, from Latin sūm, from Proto-Italic ezom, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- — to be.

être (Bourbonnais-Berrichon): to be

Definitions

  1. to be

Ancestry of “être”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchestreto be
2Late Latinessere—
3Latinsūmto be, exist
4Proto-Italicezomto be
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ésmifirst-person singular present indicative of...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ēs-to be
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi →Every word from Proto-Italic ezom →