Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “fame” come from?

fame (Old French) comes from Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- — to suckle, nurse.

fame (Old French): wife, female partner; woman

Definitions

  1. wife, female partner; woman

Ancestry of “fame”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinfēmina—
2Proto-Italicfēmanāwoman
3Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂who sucks; one who is sucked; one who suckles;...
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁(y)-to suckle, nurse

Words derived from “fame”

  • fame
  • femme
  • fameless
  • femmy
  • disfame
  • fameworthy
  • enfame
  • ultrafemme
  • famacide
  • semifame
  • fame-ish
  • microfame
  • e-fame
  • femmeslash
  • famelessness
  • en femme
  • femme fatale
  • unfame
  • fames
  • femmephobic
  • femmephobia
  • cyberfame
  • femme
  • meuf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- →