Where does “mots croisés” come from?
mots croisés (French) comes from English crossword, from English cross, from French croix, from German Kreuz, from Spanish Cruz, from Portuguese cruz, from Italian croce, from Latin crux — to caw, crow.
mots croisés (French): crossword
Definitions
- crossword
Ancestry of “mots croisés”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | crossword | A word puzzle in which interlocking words are... |
| 2 | English | cross | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight... |
| 3 | French | croix | cross; a representation of a cross; the cross as... |
| 4 | German | Kreuz | cross; clubs; sharp |
| 5 | Spanish | Cruz | cross |
| 6 | Portuguese | cruz | cross |
| 7 | Italian | croce | cross |
| 8 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |