English
foyer
Foyer comes from French foyer ‘hearth, lobby’, and goes back to Latin focus.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfocus‘hearth’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfocārius‘that which concerns the hearth’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*focāriumreconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfoyer‘hearth, lobby’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012foyer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfocus‘hearth’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfocārius‘that which concerns the hearth’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*focāriumreconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfoyer‘hearth, lobby’
- Englishearliest quotation 2012foyer
Earliest quotation: 2012, Taylor Swift, The Lucky One: “Now it's big black cars and Riviera views /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- ‘to shine’
phone, professor, famous, ben, phase, favor, favourite, ban, fantasy, fate, fancy, fame, emphasis, phenomenon, profession, photographer, fatal, bee, fairy, fabulous, abandon, infant, confession, confess, phantom, symphony, beacon, beck, boon, eff, fab, fay, bane, prophetic, epiphany, fable, banish, nefarious, profess, fantasia, 125 more
through Latin focus ‘hearth’
Today it means
noun Such a space used in a hotel, theater, etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin focus / foyer