Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fiancee” come from?

Fiancée comes from French fiancée, the feminine form of fiancé, from French fiancer, derived from Latin -are and Middle French -ance suffixes forming agent nouns.

fiancee (English): A woman who is engaged to be married

Definitions

  1. A woman who is engaged to be married

Ancestry of “fiancee”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchfiancéefeminine singular of the past participle of...
2Frenchfiancéengaged; fiancé; past participle of fiancer
3Frenchfiancerto get engaged
4Italianfidanzareto affiance, to promise, to betroth; to assure
5Italianfidanzatrust, faith; safe-conduct; third-person singular...
6Italianfidareto entrust something to someone; see affidare; to...
7Vulgar Latinfidare—
8Latinfīdō—
9Proto-Italicfeiðōto trust
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰéydʰetito trust
11Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeydʰ-to compel, force; to trust

Words derived from “fiancee”

  • fiancee
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeydʰ- →