Where does “être” come from?

être (French) comes from Old French estre, from Late Latin essere, from Latin sūm, from Proto-Italic ezom, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi, from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- — to be.

être (French): to be; "Used to form the perfect and pluperfect...

Definitions

  1. to be; "Used to form the perfect and pluperfect...

Ancestry of “être”, step by step

être traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French estre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchestreto be
2Late Latinessere—
3Latinsūmto be, exist
4Proto-Italicezomto be
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ésmifirst-person singular present indicative of...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ēs-to be

via Latin stāre

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinstāre—
2Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “être”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ēs- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ésmi →Every word from Proto-Italic ezom →