Etymology Explorer › Middle French

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

  1. to maintain; to look after

Ancestry of “entretenir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchentretenirto support one another
2Old Frenchtenirto possess; to have; to hold
3Latinteneō—
4Proto-Italictenēōto hold
5Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

Words derived from “entretenir”

  • entretenir
  • entretenement
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →