Where does “à peine” come from?
à peine (French) comes from Italian appena, from Spanish apenas, from Vulgar Latin *ad poenam.
à peine (French): barely, scarcely, hardly
Ancestry of “à peine”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | appena | barely, hardly; just, recently, newly; as soon as |
| 2 | Spanish | apenas | hardly, scarcely, barely; recently, just; as soon... |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | *ad poenam | — |
Words derived from “à peine”