Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “pauvre” come from?

pauvre (French) comes from Spanish pobre, from Old Spanish pobre, from Latin pauper, from Latin pavo-pars, from Proto-Indo-European pau- — smallness.

pauvre (French): poor; lacking, scanty; poor, pitiable

Definitions

  1. poor; lacking, scanty; poor, pitiable

Ancestry of “pauvre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Spanishpobrepoor
2Old Spanishpobre—
3Latinpauperpoor
4Latinpavo-parsgetting little
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpau-smallness

Words derived from “pauvre”

  • pauvrette
  • pauvret
  • pauvrement
  • pauvrissime
  • power
  • povra
  • pauver
  • pauvre
  • povra
  • povreso
  • povreskar
  • povrigar
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pau- →