Where does “figure” come from?

figure (Middle Dutch) comes from Old French figure, from Latin figūra, from Latin fingō, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- — to knead; to form, to shape.

Ancestry of “figure”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchfigure
2Latinfigūrashape, form, figure
3Latinfingōto shape, fashion, form, knead (dough)
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeyǵʰ-to knead; to form, to shape

Words derived from “figure

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ-Every word from Latin fingōEvery word from Latin figūra
figure — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer