pace

Where does the word "pace" come from? It comes from Latin passus, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Pace’s story begins in Latin: passus meant “step, stride.” From 'pandere', to stretch out: a stretch of the legs. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as pas. A Roman 'mille passus', a thousand paces, gave 'mile'. It reached English by 1200s as pace. 'keep pace' dates from the 1500s. Today, pace means a single step; speed of movement.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient passus "step, stride", from 'pandere', to stretch out: a stretch of the legs.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval pas "step", a Roman 'mille passus', a thousand paces, gave 'mile'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s pace "step", 'keep pace' dates from the 1500s.