Etymograph

English

carreau

Carreau comes from French carreau ‘square’, from Latin quattuor ‘four’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓrreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor‘four’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrus‘square’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*quadrellusreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400quarel‘square block of stone’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcarreau‘square’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2013same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓrreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor‘four’
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrus‘square’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*quadrellusreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400quarel‘square block of stone’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcarreau‘square’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2013same form

Earliest quotation: 2013, Jeffrey R. Kerr-Ritchie: “In 1809 and 1814, land reform in southern and…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr

four, 27 more

through Latin quattuor ‘four’

squadron, cater, quarry, quadruple, cadre, quatre, cuatro, quatrain, 24 more

through Latin quadrus ‘square’

squad, square, quadrant, quadratic, quadra, 11 more

Today it means

noun A Haitian unit of land, 100 square pas: roughly 1.3 hectares or 3.2 acres.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr / carreau