Where does “malgré” come from?
malgré (Old French) comes from Old French gré, from Latin grātum, from Latin grātus, from Proto-Italic grātos, from Proto-Indo-European gʷr̥Htós, from Proto-Indo-European gʷerH- — to express approval; praise; to elevate.
malgré (Old French): ill-will; despite; in spite of
Definitions
- ill-will; despite; in spite of
Ancestry of “malgré”, step by step
malgré traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French gré
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | gré | pleasure, goodwill; will; step |
| 2 | Latin | grātum | — |
| 3 | Latin | grātus | pleasing, acceptable, agreeable, welcome |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | grātos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷr̥Htós | praised |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷerH- | to express approval; praise; to elevate |
via Old French mal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | mal | evilly; badly; poorly; evil |
| 2 | Latin | malleus | hammer, mallet; a disease of animals; the... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂-no- | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |