étang
/e.tɑ̃/
noun
Origin
Latin
stagnum — standing water, pool, swamp
Overview
Meaning Now
- A small body of still water, typically smaller than a lake, often artificial or resulting from a dam.
Literal older meaning
A body of water formed by standing/stagnant water.
Language path
Latin → Old French → French
Earliest form
estang
Earliest period
12th century
Journey
The term derives from Latin 'stagnum'. In French, the evolution from 'estang' to 'étang' demonstrates the historical dropping of 's' before voiceless consonants, which triggered the lengthening of the preceding vowel, later marked by the circumflex.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
stagnum
“standing water”
- Vulgar Latin
*estagnus
“pool”
Added prosthetic 'e-' common in Gallo-Romance development.
- Old French
estang
“pond, lake”
- Modern French
étang
“pond”
The loss of the 's' before 't' is reflected in the circumflex accent over the preceding vowel.
Connections
Word parts
étang
root
pond
Related across languages
Spanish
estanque
pond, reservoir
Italian
stagno
pond, pool
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Related to étang
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.