Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “entrée” come from?

Entrée comes from French entrée, meaning "entry" or "entrance," derived from the feminine past participle of Old French entrer, "to enter."

entrée (English): A smaller dish served before the main course of a...

Definitions

  1. A smaller dish served before the main course of a...

Ancestry of “entrée”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchentréeentry, act of entering; entrance, way in; starter
2Middle Frenchentrerto enter
3Old Frenchentrerto enter
4Latinintrō—
5Latinintrawithin; inside; during; less than
6Latininterus—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énterosinside, within
8Proto-Indo-European-terosContrastive or oppositional adjectival suffix

Words derived from “entrée”

  • entree
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -teros →