"C" Word Origins

carom

French

Plural and third-person singular of carom, shortened from carambole, from Spanish carambola, the name of the red ball in the old billiard game.

caron

Origin

The origin is uncertain, but the name likely developed from "caret" (the ^ proofreading mark it resembles) blended with an ending borrowed from "macron."

carotid

Greek

From Greek karōtides, related to a verb meaning "to stupefy" — ancient anatomists noticed that pressing on these arteries could cause someone to lose consciousness.

carousal

Origin

From carouse (“to engage in a noisy or drunken social gathering”, verb) + -al (suffix forming nouns denoting actions by verbs to which it is attached), possibly also influenced by an erroneous understanding of the meaning of carousel (“merry-go-round”).

carouse

Origin

From Middle French carousser (“to quaff, drink, swill”), from German gar aus (literally “all out, quite out”), from gar austrinken (“to drink up entirely, guzzle”). Compare German Garaus.

carousel

French

From French carrousel, borrowed from Italian carosello, originally referring to elaborate tournament-style games performed by riders on horseback before it came to mean the fairground ride.

carp

Latin

The fish name comes from Old French carpe, likely of Germanic origin. The "to complain" sense instead traces to Old Norse karpa ("to boast, argue"), later influenced by Latin carpere ("to pluck at, slander").

carpaccio

Italian

Named after the Italian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio, supposedly because the dish's deep red colour reminded its Venetian inventor of the artist's paintings.

carpal

Latin

From Latin carpus, borrowed from Greek karpos, meaning "wrist."

carpe diem

Latin

From Latin, literally "pluck the day," from the Roman poet Horace's Odes, where it advises enjoying the present because the future is uncertain.

carpenter

Latin

From Old French carpentier, ultimately from Latin carpentarius, "maker of a carriage or cart" — the word originally meant a builder of wagons before it narrowed to mean a general woodworker.

Carpentier

Latin

From French charpentier, "carpenter," from Latin carpentarius.

carpenting

Origin

From carpent(er), carpent(ry) + -ing.

carpentry

Latin

From Anglo-Norman carpenterie, related to "carpenter" — ultimately from Latin carpentarius.

carpet

Medieval Latin

From Old French carpite, tracing back through Medieval Latin to an Armenian word for a woven rug — the trade route for early carpets left its mark on the word itself.

carpeting

Origin

The "-ing" form of "carpet," referring either to the material itself or, informally, to a scolding.

carpetmonger

Origin

From carpet + monger.

carpool

Origin

A straightforward blend of "car" and "pool," in the sense of pooling resources together.

carpus

Origin

Borrowed from New Latin carpus, from Ancient Greek καρπός (karpós, “wrist”).

carr

Middle English

From Middle English kerr/carr, related to Old Norse kjarr ("brushwood, marsh with scrub") — a dialect word still used in parts of northern England.

carrel

Origin

A variant of carol (“small closet or enclosure”), from Middle English carole (“round dance with singing; group of people dancing and singing in a circle; circular thing; braid, chain (?); stall for study or writing; writing table; etc.”) (possibly referring to the fact that the item encloses or surrounds the person using it): see further at carol.

Carrera

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Carrera.

carriage

Origin

From Middle English cariage, from Old Northern French cariage, from carier (“to carry”).

Carrier

Middle English

From Middle English cariere, partly from carien + -ere, after Anglo-Norman carier, cariour, and partly directly from Anglo-Norman. By surface analysis, carry + -er.

Carrington

Old English

From an Old English personal name plus -ing ("belonging to") and tūn ("settlement").

carrion

Latin

From Anglo-Norman caroigne, tracing back to Latin caro ("flesh") — the same root that gives us "carnivore" and "incarnate."

carrot

French

From French carotte, ultimately from Greek karoton — the same root as "carotene," the pigment that gives carrots (and some other vegetables) their orange colour.

carrots

Origin

From the vegetable "carrot," whose orange color was likened to red hair.

carroty

Origin

From carrot + -y.

carry

Latin

From Anglo-Norman carier, from Latin carrus ("wagon") — the same root as "car" and "cargo."

carryall

Origin

Compare carriole, cariole.

carryout

Origin

Deverbal from carry out.

carsick

Origin

A straightforward compound of "car" and "sick," modelled on the older word "seasick."

Carson

Origin

Possibly from Gaelic "Carr" or "Carra," meaning "rock" or "fort," combined with "son."

Carstairs

Origin

From Cumbric *cayr ("fort") plus a river name *Tarras.

cart

Old English

From Old Norse kartr, merging with the native Old English word cræt — both meaning a wheeled wagon.

Carta

Italian

From Italian carta ("document") or Spanish carta ("letter").

Cartagena

Latin

From Latin Carthāgō Nova, "New Carthage," of Punic origin.

carte

Latin

Borrowed from French carte ("card, paper"), from Latin charta — a doublet of the English words "card" and "chart."

cartel

Latin · 1800

Borrowed from German Kartell in the 19th century, itself from French cartel, ultimately from Italian cartello ("placard"), from Latin charta.

Carter

Origin

From "cart" plus the agent suffix "-er" — literally "one who carts."

Carthage

Latin

From Latin Carthāgō, from Phoenician words meaning "new city."

Carthaginian

Latin

From Latin Carthaginiensis, formed from Carthago (Carthage) plus the adjective-forming suffix -iensis.

Cartier

Origin

The rural municipality is named after Canadian politician George-Étienne Cartier (1814 - 1873).

cartilage

Latin

Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilago. It largely replaced the older native English word "gristle," which is still used informally for cartilage in meat.

cartload

Origin

From Middle English cartlode, cartelode, equivalent to cart + load.

Cartman

Origin

A compound of "cart" and "man," describing someone who works with a cart.

cartography

Origin

From French cartographie, from carte (“map”) (ultimately from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “map”)) + -graphie (“-graphy”) (from γράφω (gráphō, “write”)); carto- (“map”) + -graphy.