jeu (French)
Where does "jeu" come from?
The French word 'jeu' originated from the Proto-Indo-European root 'yek-', meaning 'to speak' or 'to utter.' This evolved into the Latin word 'iocus,' which referred to a joke or a jest, before transitioning into the Old French 'geu.' Over time, the focus shifted from verbal play to a broader sense of games and amusement, eventually expanding to describe mechanical movement and theatrical performance.
Full etymology tree
- jeu (French), 'game (activity performed for amusement)'
- inherited geu (Old French), 'game'
- inherited iocus (Latin), 'a joke, jest'
- inherited *jokos (Proto-Italic), 'utterance'
- inherited *yók-os (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *yek- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to utter'
- suffix *-os (Proto-Indo-European), 'Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.'
- inherited *yók-os (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *jokos (Proto-Italic), 'utterance'
- inherited iocus (Latin), 'a joke, jest'
- inherited geu (Old French), 'game'
Ancestors
- geu (Old French)
- iocus (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- abattre son jeu (French)
- arrêt de jeu (French)
- avoir beau jeu (French)
- cacher son jeu (French)
- calmer le jeu (French)
- ce n'est pas du jeu (French)
- c'est quand le jeu devient dur que les durs commencent à jouer (French)
- comme un chien dans un jeu de quilles (French)
- console de jeu (French)
- console de jeux (French)
- d'entrée de jeu (French)
- double jeu (French)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris