Where does “patois” come from?
Patois comes from French patois, derived from Middle French patois, Old French patois and patoi, from the verb Old French patoier, itself from Old French pate, which traces to Vulgar Latin patta and Frankish patta.
patois (English): A regional dialect (usually one considered substandard) of a language (especially French)
Definitions
- A regional dialect (usually one considered substandard) of a language (especially French)
Ancestry of “patois”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | patois | patois; saying, maxim, proverb, adage |
| 2 | Middle French | patois | local dialect |
| 3 | Old French | patois | incomprehensible speech, rude language |
| 4 | Old French | patoi | — |
| 5 | Old French | patoier | to gesticulate, handle clumsily, paw |
| 6 | Old French | pate | paw, foot of an animal |
| 7 | Vulgar Latin | patta | paw, foot |
| 8 | Frankish | patta | paw, sole of the foot |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | pat- | — |