Where does “séance” come from?
Séance comes from French séance, derived from the French adjective séant meaning "sitting" or "present," which developed from the Latin suffix -antia used to form abstract nouns, ultimately from Latin sedere meaning "to sit."
séance (English): A ceremony where people try to communicate with...
Definitions
- A ceremony where people try to communicate with...
Ancestry of “séance”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | séance | session |
| 2 | French | séant | present participle of seoir; sejant; sitting |
| 3 | French | seoir | to be suitable for; to be proper for; to be... |
| 4 | Middle French | seoir | to be; to be situated; to sit down |
| 5 | Old French | seoir | to sit; to sit down |
| 6 | Old French | sedeir | Alternative form of seoir |
| 7 | Latin | sedeō | to sit, to be seated |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | sedēō | sit, be sitting, be seated |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḗd- | to sit |