Where does “avant-main” come from?

avant-main (French) comes from French main, from Middle French main, from Old French main, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus, from Proto-Indo-European man- — human being; man; hand.

avant-main (French): forehand

Definitions

  1. forehand

Ancestry of “avant-main”, step by step

avant-main traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French main

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmainhand; handball
2Middle Frenchmainhand
3Old Frenchmainhand
4Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
5Proto-Italicmanushand
6Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

via French avant

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchavantbeforehand; earlier
2Latinantebefore, in front, forwards; before; before,...
3Ancient Greekκλίσιςbending, inclination; a lying down; a place for...
4Ancient Greek-σῐς"suffix forming nouns"
5Ancient Greek-τιςretained after dentals
6Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots
Every word from Proto-Indo-European man-Every word from Proto-Italic manusEvery word from Latin manus