Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “potentat” come from?

potentat (Middle English) comes from Old French potentat, from Latin potentātus, from Latin potēns, from Latin posse, from Latin potis, from Proto-Italic potis, from Proto-Indo-European pótis, from Proto-Indo-European ph₃tis — to drink.

Ancestry of “potentat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchpotentat—
2Latinpotentātus—
3Latinpotēns—
4Latinpossepresent active infinitive of possum  "to be able...
5Latinpotisable, capable, possible
6Proto-Italicpotis—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpótismaster, ruler; husband
8Proto-Indo-Europeanph₃tis—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₃-to drink

Words derived from “potentat”

  • potentate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₃- →