Where does “maintenant” come from?
maintenant (French) comes from Old French maintenant, from Old French maintenir, from Vulgar Latin manuteneo, from Latin manu, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus, from Proto-Indo-European man- — human being; man; hand.
maintenant (French): now, currently; present participle of maintenir
Definitions
- now, currently; present participle of maintenir
Ancestry of “maintenant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | maintenant | immediately; straight away |
| 2 | Old French | maintenir | to maintain |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | manuteneo | I support, maintain |
| 4 | Latin | manu | ablative singular of manus; by hand; with the... |
| 5 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |