Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “argent” come from?

argent (Middle English) comes from Old French argent, from Latin argentum, from Proto-Italic argentom, from Proto-Indo-European h₂r̥ǵn̥tóm, from Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ- — white, argent; glittering.

Ancestry of “argent”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchargentsilver
2Latinargentumsilver; a silver thing
3Proto-Italicargentomsilver
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂r̥ǵn̥tómsilver
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂erǵ-white, argent; glittering

Words derived from “argent”

  • argent
  • argentiferous
  • argentocracy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂erǵ- →