Where does “mot-clé” come from?

mot-clé (French) comes from French mot, from Middle French mot, from Old French mot, from Medieval Latin mota, from Frankish *mot, from Proto-Germanic *motta, from Proto-Germanic mutô, from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- — dark, dirty.

mot-clé (French): keyword

Definitions

  1. keyword

Ancestry of “mot-clé”, step by step

mot-clé traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French mot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmotword; note, message
2Middle Frenchmotword
3Old Frenchmotword; Alternative form of molt
4Medieval Latinmotaa mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of...
5Frankish*mot—
6Proto-Germanic*motta—
7Proto-Germanicmutô—
8Proto-Indo-European(s)mut-dark, dirty

via French clé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchclékey; wrench, spanner
2Middle Frenchclefkey
3Old Frenchclefkey
4Latinclāvisa key
5Ancient GreekκλείςSomething used to lock/unlock: key, bolt, bar; A...
6Proto-Hellenicklāwī́ds—
7Proto-Indo-Europeankleh₂u-nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)mut- →