Where does “patois” come from?
patois (Middle French) comes from Old French patois, from Old French patoi, from Old French patoier, from Old French pate, from Vulgar Latin patta, from Frankish patta, from Proto-Germanic pat-.
patois (Middle French): local dialect
Ancestry of “patois”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | patois | incomprehensible speech, rude language |
| 2 | Old French | patoi | — |
| 3 | Old French | patoier | to gesticulate, handle clumsily, paw |
| 4 | Old French | pate | paw, foot of an animal |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | patta | paw, foot |
| 6 | Frankish | patta | paw, sole of the foot |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | pat- | — |
Words derived from “patois”