English
fosse
Fosse comes from Latin fossa ‘ditch, trench’, from terra ‘dug-up earth’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ters- ‘dry’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ters-‘dry’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*terzā‘earth’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterra‘dug-up earth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfossa‘ditch, trench’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fosse
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1791same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ters-‘dry’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*terzā‘earth’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEterra‘dug-up earth’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEfossa‘ditch, trench’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fosse
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation 1791same form
Earliest quotation: 1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina: “[T]he ground was […] scattered with the masses of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ters- ‘dry’
test, inter, toast, thirst, terrestrial, torrent, torrid, terrine, 40 more
through Proto-Italic *terzā ‘earth’
through Latin terra ‘dug-up earth’
territory, terrain, territorial, terrace, terra, terrier, terroir, 16 more
through Latin fossa ‘ditch, trench’
Today it means
noun A ditch or moat.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ters- / fosse