Where does “elan” come from?
elan (English) comes from French élan, from French élancer, from French es-, from Latin ex, from Latin commūnicō, from Latin commūnis, from Old Latin com(m)oinis, from Proto-Italic kommoinis — resin, gum; to say, speak.
elan (English): Spirit, zeal, ardor
Ancestry of “elan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | élan | spirit; momentum; run up |
| 2 | French | élancer | to dash forward, to throw oneself at; to soar up |
| 3 | French | es- | — |
| 4 | Latin | ex | A name of the letter "X"; out of, from |
| 5 | Latin | commūnicō | — |
| 6 | Latin | commūnis | — |
| 7 | Old Latin | com(m)oinis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kommoinis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moy-ni- | held in common |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | — |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |