Where does “poisson” come from?
poisson (Middle French) comes from Old French poisson, from Old French peis, from Vulgar Latin pesum, from Latin pēnsum, from Latin pendō, from Proto-Italic pendō, from Proto-Indo-European (s)péndeti, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pend- — to stretch.
Ancestry of “poisson”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | poisson | fish |
| 2 | Old French | peis | Alternative form of pais; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | pesum | — |
| 4 | Latin | pēnsum | — |
| 5 | Latin | pendō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | pendō | hang, put in a hanging position |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)péndeti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pend- | to stretch |