banquet

Where does the word "banquet" come from? It comes from Frankish bank, passing through Italian before entering English (1480s).

Banquet’s story begins in Frankish: bank meant “bench.” A Germanic word, the same as English 'bench'. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Italian as banchetto. A small bench, then the feast eaten sitting on it. It reached English by 1480s as banquet. Arrived via French 'banquet'. Today, banquet means an elaborate formal meal.

1. Stage 1 · Frankish · ancient bank "bench", a Germanic word, the same as English 'bench'.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1400s banchetto "feast", a small bench, then the feast eaten sitting on it.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1480s banquet "a feast", arrived via French 'banquet'.