Where does “basse-fosse” come from?
basse-fosse (French) comes from French bas, from Old French bas, from Latin Bassus, from Ancient Greek βάσις, from Proto-Hellenic gʷə́tis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis, from Proto-Indo-European gʷem- — to step.
basse-fosse (French): dungeon
Definitions
- dungeon
Ancestry of “basse-fosse”, step by step
basse-fosse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French bas
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | bas | low; bass; socks; stockings; feet |
| 2 | Old French | bas | low |
| 3 | Latin | Bassus | thick, fat, stumpy, short, low, base |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βάσις | step; rhythm; foot |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | gʷə́tis | step |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷémtis | step, act of walking |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷem- | to step |
via French fossé
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | fossé | ditch; trench; moat |
| 2 | Middle French | fossé | trench; ditch |
| 3 | Old French | fossé | fosse |
| 4 | Late Latin | fossatum | entrenchment, place enclosed by a ditch; a ditch,... |
| 5 | Latin | fossō | to dig, pierce |
| 6 | Latin | fodiō | to dig, dig up, dig out; to bury; to dig or clear out the earth from a place; to mine, quarry |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰod- | to pierce, dig |