Where does “pays” come from?
pays (Middle French) comes from Old French païs, from Medieval Latin pagensis, from Latin pāgus, from Proto-Italic pāgos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵos, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ǵ- — to attach.
pays (Middle French): land; country; region
Ancestry of “pays”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | païs | Alternative form of pais; country |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | pagensis | — |
| 3 | Latin | pāgus | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | pāgos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ǵos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂ǵ- | to attach |