Where does “poyse” come from?
poyse (Middle English) comes from Middle French pois, from Latin pēnsum, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- — to stretch.
Ancestry of “poyse”, step by step
poyse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle French pois
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | pois | weight |
| 2 | Latin | pēnsum | allotment, portion, weight (of wool measured out to a slave to spin in a day) |
| 3 | Latin | pendō | to weigh, weigh out |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |
via Anglo-Norman pois
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anglo-Norman | pois | then; since; weight |