Where does “jeu de mots” come from?
jeu de mots (French) comes from French jeu, from Old French geu, from Latin iocus, from Proto-Italic jokos, from Proto-Indo-European yokos, from Proto-Indo-European yek- — to utter.
jeu de mots (French): pun, play on words
Ancestry of “jeu de mots”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | jeu | game; play; set |
| 2 | Old French | geu | game |
| 3 | Latin | iocus | a joke, jest; a form of amusement; pastime, sport |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | jokos | word, saying |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yokos | word, utterance |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | yek- | to utter |