Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Poisson” come from?

Poisson (English) comes from French Poisson, from Middle French poisson, from Old French poisson, from Old French peis, from Vulgar Latin pesum, from Latin pēnsum, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō — to stretch.

Ancestry of “Poisson”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchPoisson—
2Middle Frenchpoisson—
3Old Frenchpoissonfish
4Old FrenchpeisAlternative form of pais; Alternative form of...
5Vulgar Latinpesum—
6Latinpēnsum—
7Latinpendō—
8Proto-Italicpendōhang, put in a hanging position
9Proto-Indo-European(s)péndeti—
10Proto-Indo-European(s)pend-to stretch
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- →