Where does “près” come from?
près (Welsh) comes from English press, from Middle English presse, from Old French presse, from Old French presser, from Latin pressāre, from Latin premere, from Latin premo, from Proto-Indo-European pres- — passed , crossed.
près (Welsh): press-gang
Definitions
- press-gang
Ancestry of “près”, step by step
près traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English press
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | press | A device used to apply pressure to an item; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | presse | throng, crowd, clothespress |
| 3 | Old French | presse | — |
| 4 | Old French | presser | to press |
| 5 | Latin | pressāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | premere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | premo | I press; I pursue |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pres- | to press |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |