Where does “reserve” come from?
Reserve comes from Old French reserver, from Latin reservo, combining the prefix re- with a root from Proto-Indo-European ser-, meaning to protect or guard.
reserve (English): Restriction; That which is reserved or kept back,...
Definitions
- Restriction; That which is reserved or kept back,...
Ancestry of “reserve”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | reserver | — |
| 2 | Latin | reservo | I reserve, retain, save |
| 3 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 4 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |