Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “utilitaire” come from?

utilitaire (French) comes from French utilité, from Latin ūtilitas, from Latin ūtilis, from Latin ūtor, from Proto-Slavic *ǫtorъ, from Proto-Slavic torъ, from Proto-Slavic terti, from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- — to rub, turn; to drill, pierce.

utilitaire (French): useful, usable; utilitarian

Definitions

  1. useful, usable; utilitarian

Ancestry of “utilitaire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchutilitéusefulness, use; use, purpose; bit part
2Latinūtilitas—
3Latinūtilis—
4Latinūtor—
5Proto-Slavic*ǫtorъ—
6Proto-Slavictorъ—
7Proto-Slavictertito rub, to scrape; to polish
8Proto-Indo-Europeanterh₁-to rub, turn; to drill, pierce
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terh₁- →