Where does “devoir” come from?
devoir (French) comes from Italian dovere, from Spanish deber, from Old Spanish dever, from Latin dēbeō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē, from Latin post, from Latin poste — afterwards, post; by, at.
devoir (French): duty; exercise, assignment; must, to have to,...
Definitions
- duty; exercise, assignment; must, to have to,...
Ancestry of “devoir”, step by step
devoir traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Italian dovere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | dovere | to owe; to have to do something; duty |
| 2 | Spanish | deber | obligation, duty; debt; should, ought |
| 3 | Old Spanish | dever | — |
| 4 | Latin | dēbeō | to owe something, to be under obligation to and for something |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |