roi (French)
Where does "roi" come from?
The French noun 'roi' meaning 'king' is inherited through Middle French 'roy'[1][4] and Old French 'roi'[1], which ultimately descend from the Latin accusative form 'rēgem'[1][3][4]. The Latin word traces further back through Proto-Italic '*rēks'[2] to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₃rḗǵs'[2][5], meaning 'king, ruler'[5]. This root itself derives from '*h₃reǵ-', meaning 'to straighten' or 'to righten', combined with a nominal suffix[5].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European root and reconstructed forms are linguistic reconstructions supported by comparative evidence rather than direct textual attestations. [2] [5] [6]
Full etymology tree
- roi (French), 'king'
- inherited roy (Middle French), 'king (male ruler)'
- inherited roi (Old French), 'king'
- inherited regem (Latin), 'accusative singular of rēx (“king, ruler”)'
- inherited roi (Old French), 'king'
- inherited roy (Middle French), 'king (male ruler)'
Ancestors
- roy (Middle French)
- roi (Old French)
- rex (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- wa (Antillean Creole)
- au royaume des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois (French)
- être plus royaliste que le roi (French)
- fête des Rois (French)
- Filles du Roi (French)
- fou du roi (French)
- galette des rois (French)
- procureur du roi (French)
- roi des animaux (French)
- roi des cailles (French)
- roi des oiseaux (French)
- roi fainéant (French)
Related words
Sources
- roi (French) - Wiktionary
- rex (Latin) - Wiktionary
- roi (Old French) - Wiktionary
- roy (Middle French) - Wiktionary
- h₃rḗǵs (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- rēks (Proto-Italic) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris