Where does “replevin” come from?

Replevin comes from Old French replevir, formed from the prefix re- and a root derived through Latin re- from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

replevin (English): An action to recover personal property unlawfully...

Definitions

  1. An action to recover personal property unlawfully...

Ancestry of “replevin”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchreplevirto give a guaranty
2Old Frenchre-re- again; once more
3Latinrĕ-back, backwards
4Latinprōdūcōto lead or bring forth, forward or out
5Latinprō-forward direction, forward movement
6Proto-Italic*pro-pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
9Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tósEvery word from Proto-Indo-European per-Every word from Latin rĕ-