Montagnard

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*men-“to stand out, to tower”
2. Proto-Italic · derived from*monts
3. Latin · derived frommont-“mountain”
4. Early Medieval Latin · derived frommontānia“mountain”
5. Old French · derived frommontaigne
6. Middle French · derived frommontaigne
7. French · borrowed frommontagnard“mountaineer, mountain-dweller”
8. English todayMontagnard

Via French montagnard (“mountaineer, mountain-dweller”), from Middle French montaigne from Old French montaigne from Early Medieval Latin montānia (“mountain”), a collective based on Latin mont- (“mountain”), from Proto-Italic *monts, from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to stand out, to tower”). The French group was so called because they sat on the topmost benches.

Words from the same roots