Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “lettré” come from?

lettré (French) comes from Old French letre, from Latin littera, from Latin lītera, from Old Latin leitera, from Proto-Indo-European h₂leyH-, from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- — to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

lettré (French): literate; well-versed; literate person

Definitions

  1. literate; well-versed; literate person

Ancestry of “lettré”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchletreletter
2Latinlitteraa letter of the alphabet; handwriting; letter,...
3Latinlītera—
4Old Latinleitera—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂leyH-to smear
6Proto-Indo-Europeanleyh₂-to die, disapear; to avoid, elude, decline,...

Words derived from “lettré”

  • illettré
Every word from Proto-Indo-European leyh₂- →