Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “statue” come from?

Statue comes from Old French statue, from Latin statua, derived from the verb statuo meaning to set or place, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root steh₂- meaning to stand.

statue (English): A three-dimensional work of art, usually...

Definitions

  1. A three-dimensional work of art, usually...

Ancestry of “statue”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchstatue—
2Latinstatuaa statue, especially one made of metal
3LatinstatuoI set up, station; I establish, determine, fix; I...
4Latinstātus—
5Latinstō—
6Proto-Italicstaēōstand
7Proto-Indo-Europeansth₂éh₁yeti—
8Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “statue”

  • statuette
  • statuesque
  • statued
  • statuelike
  • statuesquely
  • statuesqueness
  • statueless
  • statuomania
  • statufied
  • statuehood
  • statuesque
  • statuette
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →