"C" Word Origins

Carla

German

From German and Italian Carla. By surface analysis, Carl + -a.

carlee

Origin

A spelling variant of Carly.

carleigh

Origin

A rare spelling variant of Carly.

Carlene

Origin

A 20th-century coinage from Carl and the ending -ene, -lene, as in Marlene and Charlene.

Carli

Origin

A spelling variant of Carly.

Carlisle

Middle English

From Middle English Carleol, from a Cumbric name meaning roughly "fort of Luguvalium," ultimately honoring the Celtic god Lugus.

Carlo

Latin

From Latin Carolus, of Germanic origin — a doublet of Charles and Carlos.

carload

Origin

From car + load.

Carlos

Latin

From Latin Carolus, of Germanic origin — a doublet of Charles, Carl, and Karl.

carlotta

Origin

From Italian Carlotta, an equivalent of Charlotte.

carls

Origin

Shortening of Carly + -s (hypocoristic suffix).

carlsen

Origin

Borrowed from Danish and Norwegian Carlsen.

Carlson

Norwegian

Borrowed from Danish and Norwegian Carlsen, equivalent to Carl + -son.

Carlton

Old English

From Old English ċeorl ("freeman") plus tūn ("town, settlement") — a doublet of Charlton.

Carly

Origin

A feminine form of Carl with -y, taken to use in the latter half of the 20th century; also a pet form of Carla, Carlene and Carlotta.

carmadie

Origin

Of Irish origin.

Carmel

Hebrew

From Hebrew כַּרְמֶל (karmél, "vineyard of God").

Carmen

Spanish

From Spanish Carmen, cognate with English Carmel.

carmical

Origin

Variant spelling of Carmichael.

Carmichael

Origin

From Cumbric *cayr ("fort") combined with the personal name Michael.

carmine

French

From French carmin, traced back through Arabic and Persian words for the crimson dye "kermes," ultimately from a root meaning "worm" — a nod to the insect the pigment was made from.

Carmody

Irish

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cearmada, "descendant of Cearmaid."

carnage

Latin

From Old French carnage, ultimately from Latin caro/carnis, meaning "flesh" — the same root found in "carnivore" and "incarnate."

carnal

Latin

From Latin carnalis, "of the flesh," from caro/carnis ("flesh, meat") — the same root behind "carnivore" and "carnation."

carnality

Origin

From Middle English carnalitee, carnalyte, carnalite, from Latin carnālitās, equivalent to carnal + -ity. Compare Old French charnalité.

carnallite

Origin

Named after the mineralogist Von Carnall (1804-74), + -ite.

carnaptious

Origin

Borrowed from Scots carnaptious.

carnassial

Origin

From French carnass(ier) (“carnivorous”) + -ial, from Occitan carnassa, from carn + -assa (feminine form of Occitan -às), from Latin carn- + -āceus.

carnation

Latin

From Middle French carnation, "flesh colour," from Latin caro ("flesh") — the flower was named for its original pale pinkish-flesh hue, not the other way round.

Carne

Origin

Two main origins: * As a Cornish surname, from karn (“cairn”), from Proto-Brythonic *karn, from Proto-Celtic *karnos. * As a French surname, from the noun charnière (“hinge, joint”). Also, from chair (“flesh”).

Carnegie

Origin

Possibly from Gaelic cathair an eige, "fort at the gap."

carnes

Origin

Variant of Kearns or Cairns.

Carney

Origin

Named after American pathologist John Aidan Carney, who first described the condition.

carnify

Origin

From Latin carnificare, from Latin carnis (“flesh”) + facere (“to make”). Compare French carnifier.

carnival

Latin

From Italian carnevale, possibly from a Latin phrase meaning roughly "putting away meat" — a reference to the feasting held right before the meat-free fasting period of Lent.

carnivoran

Origin

From Carnivora + -an.

carnivore

Latin

From Latin carnivorus, "flesh-eating," from caro ("flesh") + vorare ("to devour") — the same "-vore" ending seen in "herbivore" and "omnivore."

carnivorous

Latin

From Latin carnivorus, "flesh-eating" — the adjective form of the same root behind "carnivore."

carnosity

Origin

From carnose + -ity.

carny

Origin

A shortened, informal form of "carnival," with the "-y" ending common in casual nicknames.

Caro

Origin

Variant form of Cairo, the Egyptian city.

carol

Old French

From Old French carole, "a round dance with singing," itself of uncertain deeper origin — possibly linked to Greek words for chorus and flute-playing.

Carole

French

Borrowed from French Carole.

carolean

Origin

From Latin Carolus (“Charles”) + -ean. May be decomposed as Carol (“Charles”) + -ean.

Carolina

Latin

From Latin Carolus ("Charles") plus the feminine diminutive suffix -ina; the US states are named for Charles I of England.

Caroline

Latin

From Latin Carolus ("Charles") plus the adjective ending -ine — the historical/coin sense, distinct from the common given name Caroline, which shares the same Latin root.

caroling

Old French

The "-ing" form of "carol," from Old French carole ("round dance with song").

Carolyn

Origin

A variant of Caroline with -lyn.