Where does “Lemaître” come from?

Lemaître (French) comes from French Maître, from Middle French maistre, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.

Ancestry of “Lemaître”, step by step

Lemaître traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French Maître

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchMaîtrea title given to lawyers and notaries public in...
2Middle Frenchmaistremaster
3Old Frenchmaistremaster; Master; magister
4Latinmagisterteacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,...
5Proto-Italicmagisterosbigger, greater
6Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂isteros
7Proto-Indo-Europeanméǵh₂sbig, great

via French

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchbreadth, width; strip, length
2Frenchmoinemonk
3Middle Frenchmoinemonk
4Old Frenchmoniemonk
5Latinmonicussporadically attested in early Christian inscriptions from Gaul
Every word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂sEvery word from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isterosEvery word from Proto-Italic magisteros