Where does “pénalité” come from?
pénalité (Middle French) comes from French pénal, from Latin poenalis, from Latin poenā, from Ancient Greek ποινή, from Proto-Hellenic kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European kʷoynéh₂, from Proto-Indo-European kʷey- — to pay; to avenge.
Ancestry of “pénalité”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | pénal | penal, criminal |
| 2 | Latin | poenalis | penal; of or pertaining to punishment |
| 3 | Latin | poenā | penalty, punishment |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ποινή | blood money, wergeld; fine, ransom, penalty,... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | kʷoinā́ | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷoynéh₂ | payment; punishment, vengeance |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷey- | to pay; to avenge |