English
TGV
TGV comes from Old French trainer ‘to pull, drag’, and goes back to Latin traho.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrahoas trahō‘I pull’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tragīnāre‘to drag, to pull, to trail’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400traineras trahiner‘to pull, drag’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400train
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formas TGV
- Englishearliest quotation 2024TGV
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrahoas trahō‘I pull’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tragīnāre‘to drag, to pull, to trail’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400traineras trahiner‘to pull, drag’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400train
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Frenchc. 1600–presentsame formas TGV
- Englishearliest quotation 2024TGV
Earliest quotation: 2024, Peter Plisner, Network News: Gibb plans HS2 alternative with 155mph Pendoli: “He also makes the point that in France, SNCF…”
Linked words
through Latin traho ‘I pull’
contract, treat, attractive, portrait, abstract, attraction, extract, distraction, tractor, traction, distract, tract, trait, tram, trattoria, 34 more
through Old French trainer ‘to pull, drag’
through Old French train
Today it means
noun A French national high-speed train, run by the railway service of the same name.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin traho / TGV