Where does “essaier” come from?
essaier (Middle French) comes from Old French essaier, from Old French essai, from Late Latin exagium, from Latin exigō, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- — to drive.
Ancestry of “essaier”, step by step
essaier traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French essaier
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | essaier | to try; to make an effort |
| 2 | Old French | essai | trial |
| 3 | Late Latin | exagium | weight; weighing, testing on the balance;... |
| 4 | Latin | exigō | to drive out; expel |
| 5 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |
via Old French essayer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | essayer | — |
| 2 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 3 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |