"C" Word Origins

charge

Late Latin

From Old French chargier ("to load"), from Late Latin carricare, from Latin carrus ("a wagon") — the same root as "car" and "cargo".

chargeman

Origin

From charge + -man.

charger

Middle English

From Middle English chargere, from charge + the agent suffix -er.

Charing

Old English

From an Old English word related to "bending," referring to a bend in the road or river.

chariot

Latin

From Old French chariot, from char ("cart"), from Latin carrus ("wagon") — the same root as "car" and "charge".

charioteer

Origin

Inherited from Middle English charioter, from Old French charioteur (“charioteer”) and charretier (“coachman”). By surface analysis, chariot + -eer.

charisma

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek kharisma ("grace, favour, gift"), from kharis ("grace"). Its modern meaning of magnetic personal appeal spread widely after sociologist Max Weber used it to describe a rare quality in certain leaders.

charismatic

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek kharisma ("grace, favour, gift") + the adjective ending -ic.

charitable

Old French

From Old French charitable, from charité ("charity").

charity

Latin

From Old French charité, ultimately from Latin caritas, meaning dearness or affection — the same root that gives us "cherish."

charivari

Origin

Borrowed from French charivari.

charlady

Origin

From char (“chore”) + lady.

charlatan

French

From French charlatan, borrowed from Italian ciarlatano, blending "ciarlare" (to chatter) with "cerretano" (a hawker from the town of Cerreto, once known for its traveling quack doctors).

charlatanry

Origin

From French charlatanerie. By surface analysis, charlatan + -ry. Doublet of charlatanerie.

Charlemagne

Latin

From Old French Carles li Magnes ("Charles the Great"), from Latin Carolus Magnus.

Charlene

Origin · 1800

A 19th-century feminine coinage from Charles, following the same pattern as Marlene and Helene.

Charles

Old French

From Old French Charles, ultimately from Frankish and Old High German Karl, from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "free man" — the same root as "churl."

Charleston

Origin

The dance and several US cities are named after Charleston, South Carolina, itself named for King Charles II of England.

Charley

Origin

A diminutive form of Charles (or, for women, Charlotte/Charlene).

Charlie

Origin

A pet form of Charles; the slang senses (fool, cocaine) developed later through informal British and American usage.

charline

Origin

From French Charline.

Charlotte

French · 1744

From French Charlotte, a feminine diminutive of Charles; several places of this name honour Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1744-1818).

Charlottesville

Origin

From Charlotte + -ville, honouring Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, consort of King George III.

Charlton

Old English

From Old English ceorl ("freeman, peasant") and tun ("settlement, town") — a doublet of Carlton.

Charly

Origin

A variant spelling of Charlie, itself a diminutive of Charles.

charm

Latin

From Old French charme, meaning a spell or chant, from Latin carmen, "song" or "incantation."

Charmaine

Origin · 1900

A 20th-century coinage, possibly a variant of Charmian or based on "charm" plus the -aine ending seen in Elaine and Germaine.

charmer

Middle English

From Middle English charmer, built from charm plus the agent suffix -er.

charming

Middle English

From Middle English charmynge, formed from charm plus the suffix -ing.

charmingly

Origin

From charming + the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

charmwork

Origin

From charm + work.

Charo

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Charo.

Charon

Ancient Greek · 1978

From Latin Charon, from Ancient Greek Kharon. The moon was named in 1978 by astronomer James Christy, partly after the mythological ferryman and partly after his wife Charlene, nicknamed "Char."

charro

Origin

Borrowed from Spanish charro (“cowboy”).

chart

Latin

From Middle French charte, from Latin charta ("papyrus, paper"), ultimately from Greek khartes. A doublet of "card" and "carte," and related to "charter."

charted

Origin

From chart + -ed. Piecewise doublet of carded.

charter

Latin

From Old French chartre, from Latin chartula, a diminutive of charta — related to "chart," and a doublet of "chartula."

chartreuse

Origin

Named after the Grande Chartreuse monastery in France, where the liqueur was originally produced; a doublet of "charterhouse."

Charu

Sanskrit

From Sanskrit चारु (caru), meaning "beautiful" or "pleasant."

charva

Origin

Perhaps from nineteenth-century Romani chavo (“child or youth”). Compare charver, chav.

chary

Origin

From Middle English chari, charre, charri, chary, Early Middle English cearig, chariȝ (“concerned with, diligent; sad, sorrowful; of a person: cherished, loved”), from Old English ċeariġ (“careful; pensive; chary, wary; anxious, sad, sorrowful; dire, grievous”), from Proto-West Germanic *karag (“anxious; sad”), from Proto-Germanic *karō + *-gaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵeh₂r- (“exclamation; voice”) + *-kos (suffix forming adjectives with the meaning ‘pertaining to; typical of’)); analysable as care + -y. The English word is cognate with Danish karrig (“miserly, stingy”), Dutch karig (“austere, scant, sparing”), Norwegian karrig (“barren; meagre; poor”), Old High German charag, karag (“sparing”) (modern German karg (“barren; meagre, poor”)), Old Saxon carag, karag, Swedish karg (“austere; barren; hungry; needy, poor”). See further at care.

Chas

Origin

Originally an abbreviation of "Charles" ("Chas.") that came to be used as a nickname in its own right.

chase

Vulgar Latin

From Old French chacier, from Vulgar Latin captiare, based on Latin capere ("to seize"). A doublet of "catch," related to "capture."

chaser

Old French

From Old French chaceür, from chacier ("to hunt, chase"); a doublet of "chasseur."

chasm

Ancient Greek

From Latin chasma, from Ancient Greek khasma ("abyss, cleft") — related to "schism."

chassis

Latin

From French châssis, from Latin capsa ("case, box").

chaste

Latin

From Old French chaste, from Latin castus ("pure, morally clean").

chasten

Origin

From Middle English chastien, from Old French chastier (“punish”), from Latin castīgō. Doublet of chastise and castigate and related to chaste.