etoile (English)

Where does "etoile" come from?

The English noun 'etoile' comes from the French 'étoile'[1]. This French term traces its lineage back through Middle French and Old French forms like 'estoile' and 'esteile', which ultimately derived from the Latin 'stēlla' via Late Latin 'stēla'[2].

Full etymology tree

• etoile (English), 'Alternative form of estoile.'
  • borrowed étoile (French), 'star'
    • inherited estoile (Middle French), 'star'
      • inherited estoile (Old French), 'star'
        • inherited stela (Latin), 'alternative form of stēlla (“star”)'
          • inherited stella (Latin), 'a star; (poetic) a constellation'

Sources

1. etoile (English) - Wiktionary
2. étoile (French) - Wiktionary

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris