Where does “trist” come from?
trist (Middle English) comes from Old French triste, from Old Norse treysta, from Proto-Germanic traustijaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
Ancestry of “trist”, step by step
trist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French triste
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | triste | sad |
| 2 | Old Norse | treysta | to make safe, secure |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | traustijaną | to make strong, make reliable; to comfort,... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 7 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |