Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sou” come from?

Sou derives from French sou, from Late Latin soldus, from Latin solidus meaning "solid," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European solh₂- meaning "whole" or "complete."

sou (English): An old French copper coin equal to one twentieth...

Definitions

  1. An old French copper coin equal to one twentieth...

Ancestry of “sou”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchsousou; money; cash; cent
2Latinsolidussolid; A solidus: a Roman ~23-carat gold coin...
3Proto-Italicsoliðos—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-i-dʰ-o-sentire
5Proto-Indo-Europeansolh₂-whole
Every word from Proto-Indo-European solh₂- →