six (French)

Where does "six" come from?

The French word "six" traces its deep roots back to the Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs. It evolved through Latin "sex" into Old French "sis," eventually stabilizing into the form used today. Its unique pronunciation history reflects a transition from an old system where the final consonant changed depending on the following word to a fixed sound used in all contexts.

Full etymology tree

• six (French), 'six'
  • inherited six (Middle French), 'six'
    • inherited sis/six (Old French)
      • inherited sex (Latin), 'six; 6'
        • inherited *seks (Proto-Italic), 'six'
          • inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'

Ancestors

• six (Middle French)
• sis (Old French)
• sex (Latin)
• *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)

Descendants and derived words

• sixain (French)
• six cents (French)
• sixième (French)
• sixième (French)
• Six Nations (French)
• sixte (French)
• sizain (French)
• sis (Haitian Creole)
• sis (Louisiana Creole)
• sis (Louisiana Creole)
• sis (Mauritian Creole)

Updated July 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris