Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “entretenir” come from?

entretenir (French) comes from Middle French entretenir, from Old French entretenir, from Old French tenir, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

entretenir (French): to maintain, to look after; to support; to fuel,...

Definitions

  1. to maintain, to look after; to support; to fuel,...

Ancestry of “entretenir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchentretenirto maintain; to look after
2Old Frenchentretenirto support one another
3Old Frenchtenirto possess; to have; to hold
4Latinteneō—
5Proto-Italictenēōto hold
6Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →