Where does “essayage” come from?
essayage (French) comes from French essayer, from Middle French essayer, from Old French essaiier, from Old French essay, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō — to drive.
essayage (French): fitting, trying on
Ancestry of “essayage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | essayer | to test, to try on; to try, to attempt |
| 2 | Middle French | essayer | to test; to try |
| 3 | Old French | essaiier | — |
| 4 | Old French | essay | — |
| 5 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 6 | Latin | exigō | — |
| 7 | Latin | agō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |