Where does “tâtonner” come from?
tâtonner (French) comes from French tâter, from Old French taster, from Vulgar Latin tastare, from Latin taxāre, from Latin Taxus, from Ancient Greek εἶδος, from Spanish -scopio, from Latin -scopium — to see, to look, to observe.
tâtonner (French): to feel one's way, grope around
Definitions
- to feel one's way, grope around
Ancestry of “tâtonner”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | tâter | to feel; to get a feel for |
| 2 | Old French | taster | to taste; to touch; to hit; to strike |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | tastare | to touch, feel; present active infinitive of... |
| 4 | Latin | taxāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | Taxus | yew |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 7 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 8 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | σκέπτομαι | I look at, examine; I examine, consider, think |
| 12 | Proto-Hellenic | sképťomai | to look at |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |