Etymology Dictionary

PAGE (1),  a boy attending a person of distinction.  (F.,—Low Lat.,—L.?)   M.E. page, King Alisaunder, 835; Havelok, 1730.—F. page, 'a page;' Cot.   Cf. Span. page, Port. pagem, Ital. paggio.—Low Lat. pagium, acc. of pagius, a servant (Ducange).   This word appears to be a mere variant of pagensis, constantly used in the sense of peasant, rustic, serf; and if so, the etymology is from Lat. pagus, a village; see Pagan, Peasant.   ¶ See Littré, who does not admit the etymology suggested by Diez, viz. that Ital. paggio might have been formed from Gk. παιδίον, a little boy, dimin. of παῖς, a boy, child; for which see Pedagogue.   Littré argues that pages were, in the olden time, not particularly young; and thinks that Prov. pages (= pagensis), a peasant, may be a related word, though Diez admits no such relation.   The Port. pagem (not noticed by the eytmologists) seems to point directly to the form pagensis.   The word remains doubtful, and something can be urged on both sides.

PAGE (2),  one side of the leaf of a book.  (F.,—L.)   'If one leafe of this large paper were plucked off, the more pages took harme thereby;' Holland, tr. of Pliny, b. xii. c. 12.   [M.E. pagine, Ancren Riwle, p. 286; an older form.]—F. page, 'a page, a side of a leafe;' Cot.—Lat. pagina, a page, or leaf.   β. Orig. 'a leaf;' and so called because the leaves were once made of strips of papyrus fastened together.—Lat. pangere (base pag-), to fasten; see Pact.   ¶ We also find M.E. pagent (with added t), Romance of Partenay, prol. 79.   The three forms page, pagine, pagent, from Lat. pagina, answer to the three forms marge, margin, margent, from Lat. marginem.   Der. pagin-at-ion, a modern coined word.