Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “enceinte” come from?

Enceinte comes from Old French enceinte, from Latin incincta, the feminine past participle of incinctus, derived from the verb cingo meaning to gird or encircle, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kenk-.

enceinte (English): Pregnant; An enclosure; The line of works forming...

Definitions

  1. Pregnant; An enclosure; The line of works forming...

Ancestry of “enceinte”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchenceintepregnant; enclosure, compound; interior
2Old Frenchenceintepregnant
3Latinincinctanominative feminine singular of incīnctus;...
4Latinincinctusdraped, wreathed, surrounded
5LatinincingoI gird, wrap around, surround
6Latinīn-—
7Latinîn—
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →