Etymograph

English

modiste

Modiste comes from French modiste, from mode ‘fashion, trend’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-1‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mod-ós1‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*modos1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodus2‘measure’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400mode2
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600mode2
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmode3‘fashion, trend’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentmodiste4
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1911modiste4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin modus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, French mode
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French modiste
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English modiste
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Max Beerbohm: “All the colours of the rainbow, materialised by modistes,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*med-Wiktionary, Latin modus‘to measure’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mod-ósWiktionary, Latin modus‘measure’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*modosWiktionary, Latin modusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmodusWiktionary, French mode‘measure’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400modeWiktionary, French mode
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600modeWiktionary, French mode
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentmodeWiktionary, French modiste‘fashion, trend’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentmodisteWiktionary, English modiste
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1911modisteWiktionary, English modiste. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1911, Max Beerbohm: “All the colours of the rainbow, materialised by modistes,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *med- ‘to measure’

must, medical, medicine, medication, med, remedy, meditation, moderate, blackmail, modest, medicinal, medic, moderator, meditate, molding, modulate, mete, mote, moulder, commode, 21 more

through Proto-Italic *modos

modernize, modality, 9 more

through Latin modus ‘measure’

model, modern, mud, mood, mold, module, modification, commodity, mould, modulation, modal, modus, modulus, modicum, modulo, modifiable, 16 more

through French mode ‘fashion, trend’

mode, 2 more

Today it means

noun A person who makes or sells fashionable women's clothing, especially dresses or hats.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “modiste”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin modus, French mode, French modiste. 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 *med- / modiste

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