Where does “hostage” come from?

hostage (Old French) comes from Old French hoste, from Latin hostis, from Proto-Italic hostis, from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis, from Proto-Indo-European -tis — Derives abstract/action nouns from verb roots.

hostage (Old French): hostage

Definitions

  1. hostage

Ancestry of “hostage”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old FrenchhosteAlternative form of oste; host
2Latinhostisan enemy of the state, a hostile, a stranger; the...
3Proto-Italichostisstranger, guest
4Proto-Indo-Europeangʰóstisstranger, host
5Proto-Indo-European-tisDerives abstract/action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “hostage”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tis →Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis →Every word from Proto-Italic hostis →
hostage — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer