Where does “milieu” come from?

Milieu comes from French milieu, from French lieu meaning "place," from Latin locum, the accusative of Latin locus meaning "place," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European medʰi- meaning "middle" and stel- meaning "to place."

milieu (English): Medium; Social setting or environment

Definitions

  1. Medium; Social setting or environment

Ancestry of “milieu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmilieumiddle; center; setting; environment;...
2Middle Frenchmilieu—
3Old Frenchmilliu—
4Old Frenchlieu—
5Latinlocusplace, spot; a passage of literature; "in the...
6Old Latinstlocus—
7Proto-Italicstlokos—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanstel-to put, to place; to locate

Words derived from “milieu”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European stel- →Every word from Proto-Italic stlokos →Every word from Old Latin stlocus →