Where does “RSVP” come from?
RSVP (French) comes from French répondez, from French répondre, from Middle French respondre, from Old French respondre, from Ido respondo, from Latin respondeō, from Latin rĕ-, from Latin prōdūcō — passed , crossed.
RSVP (French): Please reply
Definitions
- Please reply
Ancestry of “RSVP”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | répondez | second-person plural present indicative of... |
| 2 | French | répondre | To reply, to answer; To answer for |
| 3 | Middle French | respondre | to reply; to respond |
| 4 | Old French | respondre | to reply; to respond |
| 5 | Ido | respondo | answer |
| 6 | Latin | respondeō | to reply, answer, respond |
| 7 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 8 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 9 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |