Where does “gens” come from?
gens (Latin) comes from Proto-Italic *gentis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵénh₁tis, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.
Ancestry of “gens”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Italic | *gentis | — |
| 2 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵénh₁tis | birth, production |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵenh₁- | to produce, to beget, to give birth |