Where does “souvenir” come from?
souvenir (Italian) comes from French souvenir, from Middle French soubvenir, from Old French sovenir, from Latin subveniō, from Latin veniō, from Proto-Italic gʷenjō, from Proto-Indo-European gʷm̥yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.
souvenir (Italian): souvenir
Ancestry of “souvenir”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | souvenir | to remember; memory; souvenir |
| 2 | Middle French | soubvenir | to remember |
| 3 | Old French | sovenir | to remember; to recall |
| 4 | Latin | subveniō | — |
| 5 | Latin | veniō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | gʷenjō | to come |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷm̥yéti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |