Etymograph

English

prise

Prise comes from Old French prise ‘seizure’, from prendre ‘to take’, and ultimately from Latin prendo.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprendo1as prēndere
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prendre2‘to take’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prise2‘seizure’past participle of prendre
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1595prise2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Old French prendre
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English prise
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., [Amoretti.] Sonnet LXIX: “In which I may record the memory Of my…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprendoWiktionary, Old French prendreas prēndere
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400prendreWiktionary, English prise‘to take’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400priseWiktionary, English prise‘seizure’past participle of prendre
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1595priseWiktionary, English prise. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., [Amoretti.] Sonnet LXIX: “In which I may record the memory Of my…”

Linked words

through Old French prise ‘seizure’

prize

Today it means

verb To force (open) with a lever; to pry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “prise”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old French prendre. 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 / Latin prendo / prise

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