Etymograph

English

amant

Amant comes from French amant ‘lover’, from Latin amō ‘to love’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- ‘to take hold of’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-1‘to take hold of’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāō1‘to get hold of’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamō2‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamans3as amantem‘lover, sweetheart’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentamant3‘lover’
  6. Englishtodayamant3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin amo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin amans
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English amant

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃emh₃-Wiktionary, Latin amo‘to take hold of’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*amāōWiktionary, Latin amo‘to get hold of’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamōWiktionary, Latin amans‘to love’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEamansWiktionary, English amantas amantem‘lover, sweetheart’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentamantWiktionary, English amant‘lover’
  6. EnglishtodayamantWiktionary, English amant

Linked words

through Latin amō ‘to love’

enemy, enmity, amicable, amour, amity, amenity, inimical, 19 more

Today it means

noun A lover, especially if illicit; a paramour.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “amant”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin amo, Latin amans. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- / amant

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