Where does “pasture” come from?
pasture (Middle English) comes from Old French pasture, from Latin pastūra, from Latin pāstus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
Ancestry of “pasture”, step by step
pasture traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French pasture
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | pasture | pasture grassy field upon which cattle graze |
| 2 | Latin | pastūra | pasture, grazing ground |
| 3 | Latin | pāstus | having eaten, consumed |
| 4 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |
via Anglo-Norman pastour
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | pastour | — |