Where does “tête” come from?

tête (French) comes from Middle French teste, from Old French teste, from Latin testis, from Latin terstis, from Latin trīstis, from Proto-Indo-European tristh₂s, from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- — to stand.

tête (French): head; header; a bright spark, a quick study

Definitions

  1. head; header; a bright spark, a quick study

Ancestry of “tête”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtestehead
2Old Frenchtestehead
3Latintestiswitness; one who testifies or attests; testicle
4Latinterstis—
5Latintrīstissad, unhappy, melancholy, morose
6Proto-Indo-Europeantristh₂sa third party standing, after the two parties to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeansteh₂-to stand

Words derived from “tête”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European tristh₂s →Every word from Latin trīstis →