Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “viscountess” come from?

Viscountess comes from Old French viscountesse, feminine of visconte, from Latin vicecomes meaning a deputy count, derived from vice- (in place of) and comes (count).

viscountess (English): The wife of a viscount; A woman holding the rank...

Definitions

  1. The wife of a viscount; A woman holding the rank...

Ancestry of “viscountess”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishviscountA member of the peerage, above a baron but below...
2Old FrenchviscounteAlternative form of visconte
3Medieval Latinvicecomes—
4Latincomesa companion, comrade, partner; an attendant, a...
5Latincom-allomorph of con-
6Latincon-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing...
7Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
8Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
9Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
11Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
12Middle Englishkyt—
13Germankitt—
14Old High Germankuti—
15Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
16Proto-Germanickweduzresin
17Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- →