plaie (French)
Where does "plaie" come from?
The French word 'plaie' was inherited from the Old French 'plaie,' which traces back to the Latin 'plāga,' meaning a blow, misfortune, or plague. It shares deep roots with the Ancient Greek 'plēgḗ' and the Latin verb 'plango,' both of which center on the physical act of striking. Over time, the word evolved from describing a violent hit or stroke to its modern focus on an open wound or a metaphorical scourge.
Full etymology tree
- plaie (French), 'open wound'
- inherited plaie (Old French), 'wound (damage to the body)'
- inherited plaga (Latin), 'plague, misfortune'
- derived plango (Latin), 'to strike, beat, flap (repeatedly or with a noise)'
- inherited *plāngō (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *pleh₂k- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *pleh₂g- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *plāngō (Proto-Italic)
- derived plango (Latin), 'to strike, beat, flap (repeatedly or with a noise)'
- inherited plaga (Latin), 'plague, misfortune'
- inherited plaie (Old French), 'wound (damage to the body)'
Ancestors
- plaie (Old French)
- plaga (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- πληγή (Ancient Greek)
- piaga (Italian)
- plagă (Romanian)
- llaga (Spanish)
Descendants and derived words
- enfoncer le couteau dans la plaie (French)
- panser ses plaies (French)
- remuer le couteau dans la plaie (French)
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris