Être
/ɛtʁ/noun
A philosophical term, borrowed from French, meaning a being or existence.
Did you know?Être descends from Latin esse, the same root behind essence, entity, absent, and present—words built around the idea of being or not being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁es-
“To be or exist”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἐστί (estí)
“Is; exists”
Classical Latin
Latin
esse
“To be; to exist”
Late Latin
Latin
essere
“To be; a later form contributing to Romance developments”
Old French
Old French
estre
“To be; to exist”
Modern French
French
être
“To be; also, as a noun, a being or existence”