English
bonbon
Bonbon comes from French bonbon ‘sweet, candy’, from Middle French bon ‘good’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *dwenos.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bon‘good (not evil)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600bon‘good’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbonredup.
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentbonbon‘sweet, candy’
- Englishtodaybonbon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dwenos‘good’reconstructed
- Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEduenos
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEduonus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEbonus‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400bon‘good (not evil)’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600bon‘good’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentbonredup.
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentbonbon‘sweet, candy’
- Englishtodaybonbon
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- ‘to fit’
down, town, tool, teen, dynamic, dynasty, tow, dun, dynamo, dynastic, tine, taw, beaucoup, beauteous, 91 more
through Proto-Italic *dwenos ‘good’
beautiful, beauty, rebellion, beau, boo, rebellious, bello, rebelling, benefice, bauble, 36 more
through Archaic Latin duenos
ben, beneficial, rebel, beneficiary, revel, bene, bellicose, 37 more
through Latin bonus ‘good, honest, brave, noble, kind, pleasant’
optimal, bonus, optimism, bona, 14 more
through Old French bon ‘good (not evil)’
Today it means
noun A sweet, especially a small chocolate-covered candy.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *dwenos / bonbon