Where does “essai” come from?
essai (French) comes from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.
essai (French): try, trial; assay; try
Ancestry of “essai”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 2 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 3 | Latin | exigō | — |
| 4 | Latin | agō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |
Words derived from “essai”