pierre (French)
Where does "pierre" come from?
The French noun 'pierre', meaning stone or real estate, is inherited from Middle French 'pierre'[1][2], which traces back through Old French 'pierre'[1][3] to the Latin 'petra'[1][3]. Latin borrowed this term from Ancient Greek 'πέτρα'[1][3], meaning rock[4].
Open questions
- The deeper etymology of the Ancient Greek source is unknown, though a Pre-Greek origin has been suggested over alternative morphological derivations. [4] [5]
Full etymology tree
- pierre (French), 'stone (substance)'
- inherited pierre (Middle French), 'stone'
- inherited pierre (Old French), 'stone (substance)'
- inherited petra (Latin), 'stone, rock'
- borrowed πέτρα (pétra) (Ancient Greek), 'rock formation: cliff, ledge, cave, ridge'
- inherited petra (Latin), 'stone, rock'
- inherited pierre (Old French), 'stone (substance)'
- inherited pierre (Middle French), 'stone'
Ancestors
- pierre (Middle French)
- pierre (Old French)
- petra (Latin)
- πέτρα (Ancient Greek)
Descendants and derived words
- apporter sa pierre à l'édifice (French)
- à un jet de pierre (French)
- avoir un cœur de pierre (French)
- dormir comme une pierre (French)
- faire d'une pierre deux coups (French)
- geler à pierre fendre (French)
- marquer d'une pierre blanche (French)
- ne pas laisser pierre sur pierre (French)
- ne pas rester pierre sur pierre (French)
- perron (French)
- pierrade (French)
- pierre à aiguiser (French)
Sources
- pierre (French) - Wiktionary
- pierre (Middle French) - Wiktionary
- pierre (Old French) - Wiktionary
- petra (Latin) - Wiktionary
- πέτρα (pétra) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris