Where does “maître” come from?
maître (French) comes from Middle French maistre, from Old French maistre, from Latin magister, from Proto-Italic magisteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂isteros, from Proto-Indo-European méǵh₂s — big, great.
maître (French): master; leader; primary school teacher
Definitions
- master; leader; primary school teacher
Ancestry of “maître”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | maistre | master |
| 2 | Old French | maistre | master; Master; magister |
| 3 | Latin | magister | teacher; master; a title of the Middle Ages,... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | magisteros | bigger, greater |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂isteros | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | méǵh₂s | big, great |