Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “secretaire” come from?

secretaire (English) comes from French secrétaire, from Medieval Latin secretarius, from Latin sēcrētus, from Ancient Greek ἀγωγός, from Ancient Greek ἄγω, from Proto-Hellenic ágō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.

secretaire (English): A kind of writing desk

Definitions

  1. A kind of writing desk

Ancestry of “secretaire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchsecrétairesecretary; writing desk, secretaire
2Medieval Latinsecretariusone entrusted with secrets; secretary; a privy...
3Latinsēcrētus—
4Ancient Greekἀγωγόςleading, guiding; guide, escort; leading to
5Ancient GreekἄγωTo lead, fetch, bring along , take with; To carry...
6Proto-Hellenicágōto lead, to guide
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →