Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “tableau” come from?

Tableau comes from Old French tablel, a diminutive form meaning a small table or panel.

tableau (English): A striking and vivid representation; a picture; A...

Definitions

  1. A striking and vivid representation; a picture; A...

Ancestry of “tableau”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchtableaupainting; picture; writing board
2Old Frenchtablela surface which is used primarily for painting
3Latintabulatablet, sometimes a tablet covered with wax for...
4Proto-Italic*taðlā—
Every word from Proto-Italic *taðlā →