Where does “gente” come from?
gente (Italian) comes from Latin gēns, from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
gente (Italian): noble; elegant, refined, gentle; gens
Definitions
- noble; elegant, refined, gentle; gens
Ancestry of “gente”, step by step
gente traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin gēns
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | gēns | Roman clan (related by birth or marriage and sharing a common name and often united by certain religious rites) |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | *gentis | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |
via Old Occitan gent
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Occitan | gent | — |
| 2 | Latin | [[[homō]]] [[gentis]] | — |