poulet (French)
Where does "poulet" come from?
The French word 'poulet' originates from Old French, combining 'poule' (hen) with the diminutive suffix '-et' to literally mean a 'young chicken.' The root 'poule' traces back to the Latin 'pullus,' which referred to the young of any animal. Over time, the term expanded beyond its culinary roots to slang, famously becoming a term for a police officer or a romantic love letter.
Full etymology tree
- poulet (French), 'chicken'
- derived poule (Old French), 'hen (female chicken)'
- inherited pulla (Latin), 'inflection of pullus:'
- derived pullus (Latin), 'any young animal, young'
- inherited *polnos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *polH-on- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *putlos (Proto-Italic), 'little boy'
- inherited *putlós (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *polnos (Proto-Italic)
- derived pullus (Latin), 'any young animal, young'
- inherited pulla (Latin), 'inflection of pullus:'
- affix -et (French), 'suffix indicating diminution or affection'
- derived poule (Old French), 'hen (female chicken)'
Ancestors
- poulet (Old French)
- poule (French)
- -et (French)
Descendants and derived words
- blanc de poulet (French)
- poulet basquaise (French)
- poulet du Général Tao (French)
- Poulet (German)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris