Where does “combien” come from?
combien (Old French) comes from Old French bien, from Latin bene, from Latin bonus, from Old Latin duenos, from Proto-Italic dwenos, from Proto-Indo-European dew- — to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be...
combien (Old French): how much, how many
Ancestry of “combien”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | bien | well; indeed; possession; object of value |
| 2 | Latin | bene | well; properly, exactly; agreeably, favorably |
| 3 | Latin | bonus | good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant;... |
| 4 | Old Latin | duenos | Alternative form of duonus |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | dwenos | good |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dew- | to show favour, revere; to fail, to lag, to be... |
Words derived from “combien”