patte

paw (of animal); leg (of animal); leg (of a human); hand (of a human); tab

From Middle French, from Old French pade, pate (“paw, foot of an animal”), from Vulgar Latin *patta (“paw, foot”), borrowed from Frankish *patta (“paw, sole of the foot”), from Proto-Germanic *pat-, *paþa- (“to walk, tread, go, step”), of uncertain origin and relation. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pent-, *(s)pat- (“path; to walk”), a variant of Proto-Indo-European *pent-, *pat- (“path; to go”). Cognate with Dutch poot (“paw”), Low German pedden (“to step, tread”). Related to English pad