Where does “entretenir” come from?
entretenir (Middle French) comes from Old French entretenir, from Old French tenir, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
entretenir (Middle French): to maintain; to look after
Definitions
- to maintain; to look after
Ancestry of “entretenir”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | entretenir | to support one another |
| 2 | Old French | tenir | to possess; to have; to hold |
| 3 | Latin | teneō | to hold, have; to grasp |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | tenēō | to hold |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |