Etymograph

English

tryst

Tryst comes from Old French triste ‘sad’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400triste1‘sad’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tryst1
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1874tryst1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English tryst
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1874, Alfred Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien: “And Vivien, like the tenderest-hearted maid / That ever…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tristeWiktionary, English tryst‘sad’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trystWiktionary, English tryst
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1874trystWiktionary, English tryst. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1874, Alfred Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien: “And Vivien, like the tenderest-hearted maid / That ever…”

Linked words

through Proto-Germanic *traustą ‘trust, shelter’

trust

through Old French triste ‘sad’

trist

Today it means

noun A prearranged meeting or assignation, now especially between lovers to meet at a specific place and time.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tryst”. 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 / Old French triste / tryst

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