Where does “Poisson” come from?
Poisson (French) comes from Middle French poisson, from Old French poisson, from Old French peis, from Vulgar Latin pesum, from Latin pēnsum, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti — to stretch.
Ancestry of “Poisson”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | poisson | — |
| 2 | Old French | poisson | fish |
| 3 | Old French | peis | Alternative form of pais; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | pesum | — |
| 5 | Latin | pēnsum | — |
| 6 | Latin | pendō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |