maison (French)
Where does "maison" come from?
The French word 'maison' traces its roots back to the Latin 'mānsiō,' which referred to an act of staying or a dwelling place. This term derived from the Latin verb 'maneō,' meaning to remain or abide, which is linked to ancient roots suggesting the concept of standing still. Over time, 'mānsiō' evolved through Old and Middle French into the modern word 'maison,' serving as a cultural cousin to the English word 'mansion.'
Full etymology tree
- maison (French), 'homemade'
- inherited maison (Middle French), 'house (building intended to be lived in)'
- inherited maisun (Old French), 'alternative form of meson'
- inherited mansionem (Latin), 'accusative singular of mānsiō'
- inherited mansio (Latin), 'An act or instance of staying, remaining; stay, continuance.'
- derived maneō (Latin), 'to stay, remain, abide'
- inherited *m̥néh₁yeti (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence habeō (Latin), 'to have, hold'
- suffix -tiō (Latin), '-tion, -ation, -ing; suffixed to verbs to form action nouns denoting a process, action, or result of an action.'
- derived mānsus (Latin), 'having stayed, remained'
- derived maneō (Latin), 'to stay, remain, abide'
- inherited *m̥néh₁yeti (Proto-Indo-European)
- influence habeō (Latin), 'to have, hold'
- derived maneō (Latin), 'to stay, remain, abide'
- derived maneō (Latin), 'to stay, remain, abide'
- inherited mansio (Latin), 'An act or instance of staying, remaining; stay, continuance.'
- inherited mansionem (Latin), 'accusative singular of mānsiō'
- inherited maisun (Old French), 'alternative form of meson'
- inherited maison (Middle French), 'house (building intended to be lived in)'
Ancestors
- maison (Middle French)
- maisun (Old French)
- mansio (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- mansion (French)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris