Where does “fléau” come from?
fléau (French) comes from Old French flaiel, from Latin flagellum, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
fléau (French): A flail, either tool or weapon; A scourge; a...
Definitions
- A flail, either tool or weapon; A scourge; a...
Ancestry of “fléau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | flaiel | flail |
| 2 | Latin | flagellum | whip, lash, scourge; whip for driving animals;... |
| 3 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |