Where does “French letter” come from?
French letter (British English) comes from English letter, from Middle English letter, from Old French letre, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH-, from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...
French letter (British English): A condom
Definitions
- A condom
Ancestry of “French letter”, step by step
French letter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English letter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | letter | A symbol in an alphabet; A written or printed... |
| 2 | Middle English | letter | — |
| 3 | Old French | letre | letter |
| 4 | Latin | littera | a letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,... |
| 5 | Latin | lītera | — |
| 6 | Old Latin | leitera | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂leyH- | to smear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | leyh₂- | to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,... |
via English French
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | French | The people of France; groups of French people;... |
| 2 | Middle English | French | — |
| 3 | Old English | Frenċisċ | Frankish |
| 4 | Old English | Franca | Frank, Frenchman; a Frank |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | frankō | spear, javelin; a Frank |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | frankô | spear, javelin; a Frank |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | prAng- | pole, stalk |