Where does “portrait” come from?
portrait (French) comes from Middle French portraict, from Middle French portraire, from Latin protraho, from Latin prō-, from Proto-Italic *pro-, from Proto-Indo-European pro-, from Proto-Indo-European por-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.
portrait (French): portrait; description
Definitions
- portrait; description
Ancestry of “portrait”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | portraict | — |
| 2 | Middle French | portraire | to portray |
| 3 | Latin | protraho | I drag, pull, draw or bring forth or out; I bring... |
| 4 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |