Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fiance” come from?

Fiancé comes from French fiancé, the past participle of French fiancer, derived from the French verb suffix -er and Latin -are, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰidʰ-.

fiance (English): A man who is engaged to be married; A person...

Definitions

  1. A man who is engaged to be married; A person...

Ancestry of “fiance”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfiancéengaged; fiancé; past participle of fiancer
2Frenchfiancerto get engaged
3Italianfidanzareto affiance, to promise, to betroth; to assure
4Italianfidanzatrust, faith; safe-conduct; third-person singular...
5Italianfidareto entrust something to someone; see affidare; to...
6Vulgar Latinfidare—
7Latinfīdō—
8Proto-Italicfeiðōto trust
9Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéydʰetito trust
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeydʰ-to compel, force; to trust
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- →