Where does “ambassadeur” come from?
ambassadeur (Middle Dutch) comes from Middle French ambassadeur, from Old French ambassadeur, from Old Italian ambassatore, from Old Occitan ambaisador, from Old Occitan ambaissa, from Latin ambactia, from Proto-Germanic ambahtiją, from Proto-Germanic ambahtaz — to drive.
Ancestry of “ambassadeur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | ambassadeur | ambassador |
| 2 | Old French | ambassadeur | ambassador |
| 3 | Old Italian | ambassatore | — |
| 4 | Old Occitan | ambaisador | ambassador |
| 5 | Old Occitan | ambaissa | service, mission, errand; message |
| 6 | Latin | ambactia | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ambahtiją | service, ministry, office, message |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ambahtaz | servant |
| 9 | Gaulish | ambaxtos | vassal, high-ranking servant |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | ambaxtos | servant |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |