Etymology Explorer › Portuguese

Where does “Montreal” come from?

Montreal (Portuguese) comes from French Montréal, from Middle French Montreal, from Middle French real, from Old French reel, from Latin reālis, from Latin rēs, from Latin vindicatio, from Latin vindicō — limestone; chalk; the finish line.

Ancestry of “Montreal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchMontréal—
2Middle FrenchMontreal—
3Middle Frenchrealroyal; Alternative form of royal
4Old Frenchreel—
5Latinreālis—
6Latinrēs—
7Latinvindicatiocivil lawsuit; protection, defence; vindication;...
8Latinvindicō—
9Latinvindexclaimant, vindicator
10Latindīcō—
11Latin-tiō—
12Latindissertātiō—
13Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
14Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
15Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
16Latincalceusshoe
17Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
Every word from Latin calx →