Where does “kutu” come from?
kutu (Michif) comes from French couteau, from Old French coutel, from Latin cultellus, from Latin -lus, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
kutu (Michif): knife
Ancestry of “kutu”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | French | couteau | knife |
| 2 | Old French | coutel | knife |
| 3 | Latin | cultellus | small knife; dagger |
| 4 | Latin | -lus | Alternative form of -ulus; diminutive suffix |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |