paix (French)
Where does "paix" come from?
The French noun 'paix', meaning 'peace', is inherited from the Old French form 'pais'[1]. This Old French term traces back to the Latin accusative 'pācem'[3], derived from the nominative Latin 'pāx' meaning 'peace'[1]. Ultimately, this Latin root descends from the Proto-Indo-European root '*peh₂ḱ-' meaning 'to join, to attach'[1].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European ancestral root and intermediate forms are linguistic reconstructions. [1] [2] [4]
Full etymology tree
- paix (French), 'peace'
- inherited pais (Old French), 'peace'
- inherited pax (Latin), 'peace'
- inherited *pāks (Proto-Italic), 'peace'
- inherited *péh₂ḱ-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *peh₂ḱ- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to join, to attach'
- inherited *péh₂ḱ-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *pāks (Proto-Italic), 'peace'
- inherited pax (Latin), 'peace'
- inherited pais (Old French), 'peace'
Ancestors
- pais (Old French)
- pax (Latin)
- *peh₂ḱ- (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- avoir la paix (French)
- calumet de la paix (French)
- faire la paix (French)
- ficher la paix (French)
- foutre la paix (French)
- gardien de la paix (French)
- gardienne de la paix (French)
- havre de paix (French)
- paix-toi la djeule (French)
- repose en paix (French)
Sources
- paix (French) - Wiktionary
- pax (Latin) - Wiktionary
- pais (Old French) - Wiktionary
- pāks (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris