sept (French)
Where does "sept" come from?
The French word 'sept' traces its origins back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European term *septḿ̥, which also gave rise to the English word 'seven'. It evolved into the Latin 'septem' before shifting into Old French as 'set' and eventually adopting its modern spelling in Middle French. Remarkably, this numeral is so ancient that it may have been a shared 'culture word' exchanged between early Indo-European and Semitic peoples thousands of years ago.
Full etymology tree
- sept (French), 'seven'
- inherited sept (Middle French), 'seven'
- inherited set (Old French), 'seven'
- inherited septem (Latin), 'seven; 7'
- inherited *septəm (Proto-Italic), 'seven'
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *sṗɣ (Proto-Afroasiatic)
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- inherited *septəm (Proto-Italic), 'seven'
- inherited septem (Latin), 'seven; 7'
- inherited set (Old French), 'seven'
- inherited sept (Middle French), 'seven'
Ancestors
- sept (Middle French)
- set (Old French)
- septem (Latin)
- *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- cent sept ans (French)
- cinq à sept (French)
- rugby à sept (French)
- septain (French)
- sept cents (French)
- septième (French)
- septième (French)
- sept péchés capitaux (French)
- sèt (Louisiana Creole)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris