Where does “point zéro” come from?
point zéro (French) comes from French point, from Middle French poinct, from Old French point, from Latin pūnctum, from Latin punctus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
point zéro (French): ground zero
Definitions
- ground zero
Ancestry of “point zéro”, step by step
point zéro traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French point
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | point | point; full stop, period; stitch pattern |
| 2 | Middle French | poinct | point; not |
| 3 | Old French | point | a sting; a prick; moment; time; dot |
| 4 | Latin | pūnctum | point |
| 5 | Latin | punctus | pricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;... |
| 6 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |