favor

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-der.?
2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
3. Proto-Indo-European*bʰh₂weh₁yetider.?
4. Proto-Indo-European*gʷʰew-der.?
5. Latinfaveō
6. Latinfavor
7. Old Frenchfavor
8. Middle Englishfavour
9. English todayfavor

From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor (“good will; kindness; partiality”), from faveō (“to be kind to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Respelled in American English to more closely match its Latin etymon. Compare also Danish favør (“favor”), Irish fabhar (“favor”), from the same Romance source.

Words from the same roots