Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “pope” come from?

pope (Old French) comes from Italian poppa, from Latin puppa, from Latin pupa, from Latin pupus, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- — few, little; smallness.

Ancestry of “pope”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianpoppabreast, boob; stern; third-person singular...
2Latinpuppastern
3Latinpupagirl, little girl; doll, puppet; pupa
4Latinpupusa boy, a child; a puppet; the pupil of the eye
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂w-few, little; smallness

Words derived from “pope”

  • poupe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w- →