300–201 BC

French words from Latin words first recorded in the 3rd century BC

288 French words inherited from a Latin word whose earliest known written record dates from the 3rd century BC, earliest Latin record first.

maître
299 BC–200 BC

from Latin magister

It is inherited from Old French maistre, inherited from Latin magister (“chief, master, teacher”), probably derived from magis (“more”), like minister from minus. Magister replaced classical Latin…
chien
280 BC–260 BC

from Latin canis

It is inherited from Old French chen, inherited from Latin canis (“dog”), accusative “canem”. “Canis” replaced an older Indo-European stem in “-n”, as in Ancient Greek κύων (kúōn), with a vocalism…
entre
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin inter

It is inherited from Latin inter (“between, among; during”), a preposition and verbal prefix with the same uses. Rey analyses “inter” as in (“in”) with an element “-ter-” that sets two things…
faim
280 BC–260 BC

from Latin fames

It is inherited from Latin famēs (“hunger; violent desire”). Rey notes that “famēs” has no correspondent outside Latin, the words for hunger and thirst varying from one Indo-European language to…
haut
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin altus

It is inherited from Old French halt, inherited from Latin altus (“high; deep”), crossed in the northern French area with the Frankish adjective of the same meaning, *hōh, from which it took its…
mère
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin mater

It is inherited from Old French medre, inherited from Latin māter (“mother; mother country; source”) (accusative “mātrem”), from Proto-Italic *mātēr, from Proto-Indo-European *méh₂tēr. Unlike…
notre
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin noster

It is inherited from Old French nostre, inherited from Latin noster (“our”), derived from nōs (“we, us”) (see nous) with a suffix that marks the opposition of two notions. The plural “nos” probably…
nul
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin nullus

It is inherited from Latin nūllus (“not any, none; worthless”). The Latin word is formed from the negation ne and ūllus (“any, anyone”), itself derived from ūnus (“one”) (see un). From the earliest…
peur
280 BC–260 BC

from Latin pavor

It is inherited from Old French poür, inherited from Latin pavor (“fear, dread”) (accusative “pavōrem”). The Latin noun is from paveō (“to be struck with fear”), Rey suggests the first sense was “to…
pis
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin pectus

1. The udder is inherited from Old French piz, inherited from Latin pectus (“breast, chest; heart”). Littré notes that it is one of the few nouns that kept in Old French the final ⟨-s⟩ of the Latin…
tien
280 BC–200 BC

from Latin tuus

It is inherited from Latin tuus (“your, yours (of one person)”), through its accusative “tuum”, a possessive formed from tū (“you”). The Old French forms “tuen” and “toen” were remodelled as “tien”…
cher
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin carus

It is inherited from Old French chier, inherited from Latin cārus (“dear, beloved; costly, precious”). The Latin word has cognates in Celtic, such as Old Irish carae (“friend”), and in Germanic…
comme
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin quomodo

It is inherited from Old French com, inherited from Latin quōmodo (“in what way, how; as”), a compound of the ablative of quis and modus (“manner”). The direct source of “cum”, “com” is the late…
comte
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin comes

It is inherited from Old French conte, inherited from Latin comes (“companion; member of an emperor's retinue”), through its accusative case. The Latin subject case gave Old French cuens, later…
crever
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin crepo

It is inherited from Old French crever, inherited from Latin crepō (“to rattle, crack, burst”). The Latin verb belongs to an expressive group built on the sound “kr-”, as in Ancient Greek κράζω…
donner
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin dono

It is inherited from Old French doner, inherited from Latin dōnō (“to make a gift of, present”), a verb formed from dōnum (“gift”), itself from dō (“to give”). In Late Latin “dōnāre”, with its…
douleur
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin dolor

It is inherited from Old French dolor, inherited from Latin dolor (“physical or mental pain”) (accusative “dolōrem”), from doleō (“to suffer, feel pain”), which also gave Old French doloir “to…
fin
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin finis

1. The noun “end” is inherited from Old French fin, inherited from Latin fīnis (“boundary; limit; end; aim”). The Latin word, of unknown origin, first meant the boundary of a field and, in the…
fumer
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin fumo

1. The verb “to smoke” is inherited from Latin fūmō (“to give off smoke or steam”), derived from fūmus (“smoke”), which has no known origin according to Rey. Littré related the Latin root to Ancient…
goutte
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin gutta

It is inherited from Old French gote, inherited from Latin gutta (“drop; spot; small particle”), an expressive formation in Latin, which also used it in architecture. The name of the disease, gout…
hein
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin hem

It continues inherited from Latin hem (“eh?, hm!”), an interjection expressing various painful feelings and also a question. Bloch and Wartburg simply call it an onomatopoeia. Rey adds that “hein”…
herbe
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin herba

It is inherited from Latin herba (“grass; weeds; young shoot, especially of grain; plant”). Rey calls the Latin word a pre-Latin rural term of unknown origin, the Petit Robert an obscure one…
huit
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin octo

It is inherited from Old French uit, inherited from Latin octō (“eight”). The ⟨h⟩, also seen in huile and huître, is purely graphic; that “huit” takes no liaison or elision (“le huit”) follows the…
jouer
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin iocor

It is inherited from Old French joer, inherited from Latin iocor (“to jest, joke”), from iocus (“jest”), the source of jeu. In late Latin “iocārī” replaced lūdō (“to play”) and took over its senses…
jurer
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin iuro

It is inherited from Old French jurer, inherited from Latin iūrō (“to swear, take an oath”), from iūs (“law, right”), in its original sense of a ritual formula with the force of law. The same Latin…
loi
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin lex

It is inherited from Old French lei, inherited from Latin lēx (“religious law; law; contract”), from its accusative “lēgem”. Rey explains that “lex” rested on the idea of an express agreement…
là
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin illac

It is inherited from Old French la, inherited from Latin illāc (“that way, there”), from ille (“that”), whose final “c” had already dropped in speech from the time of Plautus. The expected diphthong…
manche
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin manica

1. The sleeve is inherited from Latin manica (“long sleeve of a tunic covering the hand; glove; handcuffs”), from manus (“hand”). Bloch and Wartburg note that the Latin word first meant a kind of…
nu
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin nudus

It is inherited from Old French nu, inherited from Latin nūdus (“unclothed; stripped of; bare, plain”). Rey notes that Latin “nūdus” was sometimes used like Ancient Greek γυμνός (gumnós) for…
pierre
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin petra

It is inherited from Old French piere, inherited from Latin petra (“rock, crag”), an early borrowing from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”). The origin of the Greek word is not established, Rey…
pute
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin putidus

It is inherited from Old French pute, the feminine of the Old French adjective put (“stinking; bad, vile”) used as a noun, which continues inherited from Latin pūtidus (“stinking, rotten”), from…
péché
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin peccatum

It is inherited from Old French pechié, inherited from Latin peccātum (“fault, error, (Christian Latin) sin”), the neuter past participle of peccō (“to stumble; to err; to sin”) used as a noun. The…
remettre
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin remitto

It is inherited from Old French remetre, inherited from Latin remittō (“to send back; to slacken; to give up, remit”), formed from re- and mittō (“to send, let go”). The Latin verb also meant “to…
sans
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin sine

It is inherited from Old French sens, inherited from Latin sine (“without”), with an adverbial “-s”. Compare Old French senoec “without that”, from “sine hoc”. Bloch and Wartburg add that there was…
songer
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin somnio

It is inherited from Old French songier, inherited from Latin somniō (“to dream; to see in a dream”), from somnium (“dream”). In Old French some forms of the verb were close to those of soignier…
sortir
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin sortior

It is inherited from Old French sortir, probably inherited from Latin sortior (“to cast lots; to obtain by lot; to choose”), from sors (“lot”). The sense “to go from inside to outside” may have…
souffler
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin sufflo

It is inherited from Old French sofler, inherited from Latin sufflō (“to blow on; to inflate”), formed with sub- (“under”) and flō (“to blow; to breathe out”). The simple verb was replaced in…
sourd
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin surdus

It is inherited from Old French sort, inherited from Latin surdus (“deaf; that will not hear; dull, muffled”). The Latin word has no clear etymology; it has been compared with susurrus (“whisper”)…
sous
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin subtus

It is inherited from Old French soz, inherited from Latin subtus (“below, underneath”), an adverb in classical Latin and a preposition in imperial and Late Latin. Rare in texts, this derivative of…
souvenir
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin subvenio

It is inherited from Old French sovenir, inherited from Latin subveniō (“to come up; to come to mind”), from sub (“under”) and veniō (“to come”). Latin “subvenīre” meant “to come up unexpectedly”…
supplier
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin supplico

It is inherited from Old French souploier, inherited from Latin supplicō (“to kneel; to pray, implore”), properly “to bend the knees”, formed from sub- and plicō (“to fold”), and related to supplex…
sur
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin super

1. The preposition is inherited from Old French sor, inherited from Latin super (“above, over; upon”), altered by crossing with sus. The oldest forms, “sobre” and “sore”, come from suprā (“above…
tant
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin tantum

It is inherited from Old French tant, inherited from Latin tantum (“so much; only”), the neuter of tantus (“so great”) used as an adverb. Latin “tantus”, from an older “*tam-to-s”, contains, like…
très
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin trans

It is inherited from Old French tres, inherited from Latin trāns (“across, beyond”), pronounced “trās”. The Latin preposition had a local sense, but as a preverb it could mean “right through…
vert
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin viridis

It is inherited from Old French vert, inherited from Latin viridis (“green; fresh, vigorous”), through Late Latin virdis, from vireō (“to be green”), a word of unknown origin. Wiktionary explains…
voiture
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin vectura

It is inherited from Old French voiture, inherited from Latin vectūra (“transport, carriage; cost of transport”), from “vectum”, the supine of vehō (“to carry”), whence also véhicule. Cognate with…
voyage
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin viaticum

It is inherited from Old French veiage, inherited from Latin viāticum (“provisions or money for a journey, (late) journey”), the neuter of viāticus (“of a journey”), from via (“road, way”). In the…
été
250 BC–184 BC

from Latin aestas

It is inherited from Old French esté, inherited from Latin aestās (“summer”), from its accusative “aestātem”. The Latin word seems to come by haplology from “*aestitās” and belongs to the root…
argent
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin argentum

It is inherited from Old French argent, inherited from Latin argentum (“silver; money”). The Latin word is related to a stem meaning “brightness, whiteness” seen in arguō, originally “to make…
boire
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin bibo

It is inherited from Old French boivre, inherited from Latin bibō (“to drink; to soak up”). The Latin verb, which almost entirely displaced its synonym pōtō (“to drink”) (see potable, poison)…
champ
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin campus

It is inherited from Latin campus (“plain; cultivated plain, field; battlefield; field of action”). The Latin word, probably native to an ancient language of Italy, first meant a plain as opposed to…
croire
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin credo

It is inherited from Old French creire, inherited from Latin crēdō (“to entrust; to trust; to believe”). The Latin verb was an old religious term of Indo-European origin, preserved only in…
devenir
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin devenio

It is inherited from Old French devenir, inherited from Latin dēveniō (“to come to, arrive at”), from dē and veniō (“to come”). In classical Latin the verb meant “to arrive at, come to” and…
fer
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin ferrum

It is inherited from Latin ferrum (“iron; sword; iron object; chains”). The Latin word is of unknown origin: ironworking reached the Indo-European area late, after bronze, and the names of the metal…
fille
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin filia

It is inherited from Old French fille, inherited from Latin fīlia (“daughter; girl”), the feminine of fīlius (“son”) (see fils). The sense “prostitute” comes from the shortening of phrases such as…
fleur
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin flos

It is inherited from Old French flor, inherited from Latin flōs (“flower; the finest part”) (accusative flōrem). The Latin word goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“to bloom”), also seen in…
larme
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin lacrima

It is inherited from Old French lerme, inherited from Latin lacrima (“tear; drop of gum”), older “lacruma” and “dacruma”. Rey thinks the Latin word was probably borrowed, first in poetry, from…
lieu
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin locus

1. The place is inherited from Old French leu, inherited from Latin locus (“place, spot”), in early Latin “stlocus”. The Latin word translated Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos) and took over its technical…
mentir
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin mentio

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin mentīre, for classical mentīrī (“to lie; to invent, feign”), from mēns (“mind”). Rey thinks the first sense of the Latin verb was probably “to imagine, invent”, and…
mer
240 BC–207 BC

from Latin mare

It is inherited from Latin mare (“sea; large basin”). The Latin neuter became feminine in the 6th century, as also in Romanian and Catalan; this is put down to the influence of terre. “Mare” was the…

All French words inherited from Latin, by century →