Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “ancelle” come from?

ancelle (French) comes from Latin ancilla, from Latin ancula, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

ancelle (French): female servant

Definitions

  1. female servant

Ancestry of “ancelle”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinancillamaid, slave-girl
2Latinanculamaidservant
3Latin-lusAlternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix
4Proto-Italic-elos—
5Proto-Indo-European-e-lós—
6Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

Words derived from “ancelle”

  • ancille
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós →