Where does “français” come from?
français (French) comes from Middle French françois, from Old French françois, from Old French -ois, from Latin -ensis, from Latin arvum, from Latin colō, from Latin quelō, from Proto-Italic kʷelō — to turn.
français (French): French; Franco-American or Francophone
Definitions
- French; Franco-American or Francophone
Ancestry of “français”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | françois | Alternative form of françoys |
| 2 | Old French | françois | French; the French language |
| 3 | Old French | -ois | used to form nationalities; used to form names of... |
| 4 | Latin | -ensis | Of or from |
| 5 | Latin | arvum | field; farm land |
| 6 | Latin | colō | to cultivate the land, till, tend, take care of a field or garden |
| 7 | Latin | quelō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kʷelō | to inhabit |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷéleti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷel- | to turn |