English
collegianer
Collegianer comes from French collégien ‘a pupil at a collège’, from collège ‘academy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-1‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lḗgʰs1uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēks1‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēx1‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgō1
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēga1‘colleague’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgium2‘colleagueship,’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400college2‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600college2‘a monastery or convent’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcollège3‘academy’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcollégien4‘a pupil at a collège’
- Englishtodaycollegianer4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin collegium
- 2 Wiktionary, French collège
- 3 Wiktionary, French collégien
- 4 Wiktionary, English collegianer
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*legʰ-Wiktionary, Latin collegium‘to lie’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lḗgʰsWiktionary, Latin collegiumuncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*lēksWiktionary, Latin collegium‘law’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēxWiktionary, Latin collegium‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElēgōWiktionary, Latin collegium
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgaWiktionary, Latin collegium‘colleague’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcollēgiumWiktionary, French collège‘colleagueship,’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400collegeWiktionary, French collège‘institution’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600collegeWiktionary, French collège‘a monastery or convent’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcollègeWiktionary, French collégien‘academy’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcollégienWiktionary, English collegianer‘a pupil at a collège’
- EnglishtodaycollegianerWiktionary, English collegianer
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- ‘to lie’
law, low, lie, fellow, lawyer, log, layer, litter, ledge, lair, lawless, lees, lig, underlay, leaguer, lagan, lias, 20 more
through Proto-Indo-European *lḗgʰs
disloyalty, illegality, 7 more
through Proto-Italic *lēks ‘law’
through Latin lēx ‘the legal machinery of a state, the law’
legal, lay, loyal, lex, relegate, leal, 11 more
through Latin lēgō
election, collection, elite, lesson, select, legend, legacy, eligible, lecture, elect, collective, delegation, coil, elegant, delegate, negligence, legion, collector, diligent, negligent, negligible, cull, legible, legation, legate, lectern, lector, ineligibility, 26 more
through Latin collēga ‘colleague’
Today it means
noun A college student.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “collegianer”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin collegium, French collège, French collégien. 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 *legʰ- / collegianer