Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “jeu” come from?

jeu (French) comes from Old French geu, from Latin iocus, from Proto-Italic jokos, from Proto-Indo-European yokos, from Proto-Indo-European yek- — to utter.

jeu (French): game; play; set

Definitions

  1. game; play; set

Ancestry of “jeu”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchgeugame
2Latiniocusa joke, jest; a form of amusement; pastime, sport
3Proto-Italicjokosword, saying
4Proto-Indo-Europeanyokosword, utterance
5Proto-Indo-Europeanyek-to utter

Words derived from “jeu”

  • antijeu
  • jeu de mots
  • enjeu
  • enjoué
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yek- →