Where does “poltron” come from?
poltron (Norman) comes from French poltron, from Middle French poltron, from Italian poltrone, from Italian poltro, from Vulgar Latin pulliter, from Latin pullus, from Proto-Indo-European polHwós, from Proto-Indo-European pelH- — pale, gray.
poltron (Norman): thug
Definitions
- thug
Ancestry of “poltron”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | poltron | coward; cowardly |
| 2 | Middle French | poltron | coward |
| 3 | Italian | poltrone | lazy, indolent, sluggish; lazy person, indolent... |
| 4 | Italian | poltro | untamed; indolent, lazy; bed |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | pulliter | — |
| 6 | Latin | pullus | A young animal; darling; dark-colored; dusky |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | polHwós | pale, gray |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pelH- | pale, gray |