Where does “en route” come from?
en route (English) comes from French en route, from French route, from Old French rote, from Latin rupta, from Latin ruptus, from Latin rumpō, from Proto-Indo-European Hrunépti, from Proto-Indo-European Hrewp- — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.
Ancestry of “en route”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | en route | let's go |
| 2 | French | route | road; route, way, path |
| 3 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 4 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 5 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 6 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |