Etymology of the French word accent
the Old French word
accentderived from the Latin word
accentus (accent, intonation, accentuation)
using the Latin prefix
ad- (to, in addition)
derived from the Latin word
ad (to; near; to; to; to; near)
derived from the Vulgar Latin word
cantus (song, chant; singing; tire, iron ring around a carriage wheel; wheel)
derived from the Latin word
canthus (tire, iron ring around a carriage wheel; wheel)
derived from the Greek word
kanthos, κανϑός (rim; rim on a wheel; rim)
derived from the Latin word
cantare (sing; play)
derived from the Latin word
canere (be, become covered in white; be hoary; sing, celebrate, chant)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kan-Date
The earliest known usage of accent in French dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in French
accentuelDerivations in other languages
English
accentCognates
Dutch
accent, English
accent, German
Akzent, Italian
accento, Latin
accentus, Lithuanian
akcentas, Norwegian
aksent, Polish
akcent, Russian
aкцeнт, Spanish
acento, Swedish
accentUsage
Word found in Old French
