Where does “city” come from?
city (Finnish) comes from English city, from Middle English cite, from Old French citet, from Latin cīvitās, from Proto-Italic keiwis, from Proto-Indo-European ḱey- — to be lying down; to settle.
Ancestry of “city”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | city | A large settlement, bigger than a town; sometimes... |
| 2 | Middle English | cite | city |
| 3 | Old French | citet | Alternative form of cité |
| 4 | Latin | cīvitās | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | keiwis | society; citizen |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |
Words derived from “city”