Where does “hors d'oeuvres” come from?
hors d'oeuvres (English) comes from French hors-d'œuvre, from French œuvre, from Old French uevre, from Latin opera, from Latin Opus, from Ancient Greek Ὀποῦς, from Ancient Greek ὀπός, from Proto-Indo-European sokʷós — to follow; to see; to say.
hors d'oeuvres (English): plural of hors d'oeuvre
Ancestry of “hors d'oeuvres”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | hors-d'œuvre | appetizer, starter, hors d'oeuvre; extension,... |
| 2 | French | œuvre | work, book, piece; activity, operation; The... |
| 3 | Old French | uevre | a work |
| 4 | Latin | opera | work, exertion, effort; service; care, attention... |
| 5 | Latin | Opus | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ὀποῦς | — |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὀπός | juice, vegetable/plant juice; fig-juice |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sokʷós | juice of plants |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
Words derived from “hors d'oeuvres”