"Pont" is the oldest generic term for a footbridge connecting two points by crossing a depression or an obstacle, like this bridge in Normandy. The word is derived from the Indo-European root "pent" that means "passageway" or "path". In Latin, the term "pons" or "pontis" already had the current meaning, and it is "pontem", its form in the accusative, which gave the French "pont". The term "pont" is part of a multitude of metaphorical expressions that appeared from the origins of the language and developed in the classical era, in the 17th century, and in the modern era, in the 19th century.