Where does “hostage” come from?
hostage (Middle English) comes from Old French hostage, from Old French hoste, from Latin hostis, from Proto-Italic hostis, from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.
Ancestry of “hostage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | hostage | hostage |
| 2 | Old French | hoste | Alternative form of oste; host |
| 3 | Latin | hostis | an enemy of the state, a hostile, a stranger; the... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | hostis | stranger, guest |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰóstis | stranger, host |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tis | Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots |
Words derived from “hostage”