Where does “client” come from?
Client comes from Anglo-Norman clyent, a borrowing into Middle English that denoted a person under the protection or patronage of another.
client (English): A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or...
Definitions
- A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or...
Ancestry of “client”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | client | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | clyent | — |
| 3 | Old French | client | — |
| 4 | Latin | cliēns | customer |
| 5 | Latin | clueo | I am called or named; I am reputed |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kluēō | to be known |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱlew- | to hear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |
Words derived from “client”