Where does “joke” come from?
joke (French) comes from English joke, from Latin iocus, from Proto-Italic jokos, from Proto-Indo-European yokos, from Proto-Indo-European yek- — to utter.
joke (French): joke
Ancestry of “joke”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | joke | An amusing story; Something said or done for... |
| 2 | Latin | iocus | a joke, jest; a form of amusement; pastime, sport |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | jokos | word, saying |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | yokos | word, utterance |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | yek- | to utter |