Where does “même” come from?

même (French) comes from Middle French mesme, from Old French mesme, from Old French meïsme, from Vulgar Latin metipsimus, from Latin ipse, from Proto-Italic *e(s)peso — himself, herself, itself.

même (French): even; same; very

Definitions

  1. even; same; very

Ancestry of “même”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchmesmesame; even
2Old Frenchmesmesame; used for emphasis
3Old FrenchmeïsmeAlternative form of mesme
4Vulgar Latinmetipsimussame
5Latinipsehimself, herself, itself, the very, the actual;...
6Proto-Italic*e(s)pesohimself, herself, itself

Words derived from “même”

Every word from Proto-Italic *e(s)peso →Every word from Latin ipse →Every word from Vulgar Latin metipsimus →