Where does “cerf-volant” come from?
cerf-volant (French) comes from French volant, from French voler, from Old French voler, from Latin volō, from Proto-Italic gʷelāō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷelh₁-éh₂-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH- — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.
cerf-volant (French): stag beetle; kite
Definitions
- stag beetle; kite
Ancestry of “cerf-volant”, step by step
cerf-volant traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French volant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | volant | present participle of voler; steering wheel;... |
| 2 | French | voler | to fly; to pursue flying; to scarper, flee |
| 3 | Old French | voler | — |
| 4 | Latin | volō | to wish, to please |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | gʷelāō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelh₁-éh₂-ye-ti | to throw, raise the arm |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷelH- | to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing |
via French cerf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | cerf | a stag, a hart |
| 2 | Middle French | cerf | a stag, a hart |
| 3 | Old French | cerf | deer |
| 4 | Latin | cervus | deer, stag; forked stakes; cheval de frise |
| 5 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |