Where does “rien” come from?
rien (Middle French) comes from Old French rien, from Latin rem, from Latin rēs, from Latin vindicatio, from Latin vindicō, from Latin vindex, from Latin dīcō, from Latin -tiō — small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble.
rien (Middle French): thing
Ancestry of “rien”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | rien | thing; object; being; creature; thing |
| 2 | Latin | rem | accusative singular of rēs |
| 3 | Latin | rēs | — |
| 4 | Latin | vindicatio | civil lawsuit; protection, defence; vindication;... |
| 5 | Latin | vindicō | — |
| 6 | Latin | vindex | claimant, vindicator |
| 7 | Latin | dīcō | — |
| 8 | Latin | -tiō | — |
| 9 | Latin | dissertātiō | — |
| 10 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 11 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 12 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 13 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 14 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 15 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
Words derived from “rien”