Where does “actor” come from?
actor (Welsh) comes from English actor, from French acteur, from Middle French acteur, from Latin āctor, from Latin āctus, from Latin agō, from Proto-Italic agō, from Proto-Indo-European h₂éǵeti — to drive.
Ancestry of “actor”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | actor | A person who performs in a theatrical play or... |
| 2 | French | acteur | actor |
| 3 | Middle French | acteur | — |
| 4 | Latin | āctor | doer, agent |
| 5 | Latin | āctus | made, done, having been done |
| 6 | Latin | agō | to act, to behave |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | agō | drive; push, impel; do, act |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂éǵeti | to be driving |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eǵ- | to drive |