Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “prestidigitateur” come from?

prestidigitateur (French) comes from French preste, from Italian presto, from Italian prestare, from Latin praesto, from Latin prae-, from Proto-Italic prai-, from Proto-Indo-European preh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European per- — passed , crossed.

prestidigitateur (French): conjurer, magician

Definitions

  1. conjurer, magician

Ancestry of “prestidigitateur”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchpresteagile, quick
2Italianprestoready; fast, quick, nimble; soon
3Italianprestareto lend; to pay, to give
4Latinpraestopresent, at hand, ready; at hand, ready to help;...
5Latinprae-before; in front; in charge
6Proto-Italicprai-—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “prestidigitateur”

  • prestidigitation
  • prestidigitator
  • prestidigitation
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →