Where does “tenir” come from?

tenir (Middle French) comes from Old French tenir, from Latin teneō, from Proto-Italic tenēō, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.

tenir (Middle French): to hold

Definitions

  1. to hold

Ancestry of “tenir”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchtenirto possess; to have; to hold
2Latinteneōto hold, have; to grasp
3Proto-Italictenēōto hold
4Proto-Indo-Europeanten-to stretch, to extend

Words derived from “tenir”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ten- →Every word from Proto-Italic tenēō →Every word from Latin teneō →
tenir — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer