Where does “essay” come from?

essay (Middle French) comes from Old French essay, 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 “essay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchessay—
2Late Latinexagiumweight; weighing, testing on the balance;...
3Latinexigōto drive out; expel
4Latinagōto act, to behave
5Proto-Italicagōdrive; push, impel; do, act
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éǵetito be driving
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “essay”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eǵ- →