"C" Word Origins

cog

Middle English

From Middle English cogge, probably from Old Norse, related to a word for a lump or swelling — the sense of "gear tooth" likely comes from the tooth's rounded shape.

cogent

Latin

From Latin cogent-, the present participle stem of cogere meaning to drive together or compel, from co- together and agere to drive.

cogger

Origin

From cog (“to play tricks with dice”) + -er.

coggle

Origin

Origin obscure. Perhaps from cog (“small boat”) + -le (frequentative suffix), in reference to the rocking or swaying motion of the sea; or perhaps an alteration of cockle (“to move up and down”).

cogitate

Origin

First attested in 1570; borrowed from Latin cōgitātus, perfect passive participle of cōgitō (“to think”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

cogitation

Origin

Latinism, likely a learned borrowing from Medieval Latin cogitatio, cogitationis, possibly influenced by or displacing an earlier doublet of cogitacion inherited from Middle English cogitacioun, from an Old French cogitaciun, from Vulgar Latin cōgitātiō, cōgitātiōnem; compare Middle French cogitatiun, French cogitation. All ultimately from verbal construction cōgitātus + -iō, from the perfect passive participle of Latin cōgitō (“to turn over in the mind; think, consider, ponder, meditate”), frequentative verb from con- (“together, with”) + agitō (“to put in constant motion, drive at something; devise, plot, contrive”), root from Proto-Italic *agō (“to drive, impel”) from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

cogitative

Origin

From Old French cogitatif.

cognac

French

Named after Cognac, the French town at the centre of its production.

cognate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from co- + gnātus (“born”). Compare Portuguese cognato and Spanish cognado. Doublet of connate and cognatus.

cognisant

Latin

From Old French conoissant, the present participle of conoistre, from Latin cognoscere 'to get to know', formed from co- 'together' and gnoscere 'to know'. The spelling with a g was restored later on the Latin model.

cognition

Origin

From Middle English cognicion, cognicioun from Latin cognitiō (“knowledge, perception, a judicial examination, trial”), from cognitus, past participle of cognoscere (“to know”), from co- (“together”) + *gnoscere, older form of noscere (“to know”); see know, and compare cognize, cognizance, cognizor, cognosce, connoisseur.

cognitive

Latin

From Latin cognitus, "known," the past participle of cognoscere, "to get to know."

cognitive dissonance

English

A term from psychology, from cognitive relating to thinking and dissonance meaning a clash or lack of harmony; it was introduced by the psychologist Leon Festinger in the 1950s.

cognizance

Latin

From Old French conoissance 'knowledge, acquaintance', from conoistre, which comes from Latin cognoscere 'to get to know'. English later restored the g in spelling to reflect the Latin root.

cognizant

Latin

Via Old French conoissant from Latin cognoscere meaning to get to know, from co- and gnoscere to know.

cognomen

Origin

From Latin cognōmen, from con- (“with”) + nōmen (“name; family name”).

cognoscente

Origin

From obsolete Italian cognoscente (modern Italian conoscente) from Latin cognōscere (“to know”).

cohabitation

Origin

From Middle English cohabitacioun, from Old French cohabitacion and Late Latin cohabitātiō. By surface analysis, co- + habitation.

cohabiting

Latin

From Latin cohabitare, formed from co- 'together' and habitare 'to dwell', a frequentative of habere 'to have, to hold'.

cohee

Origin

Munster variant of Coffey.

Cohen

Hebrew

From Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kohen), meaning "priest." It later became one of the most common Jewish surnames.

cohencidence

Origin

Blend of Cohen (common Jewish surname) + coincidence.

cohencidental

Origin

Blend of Cohen + coincidental.

coherence

Latin

From Latin cohaerentia, from cohaerere 'to stick together', formed from co- 'together' and haerere 'to cling, to stick'.

coherent

Latin

From Latin cohaerens, the present participle of cohaerere, "to stick together," from co- + haerere ("to stick").

cohesion

Latin

From Latin cohaesio, from cohaerere, "to stick together" — the same root as coherent.

cohesive

Latin

From Latin cohaesus, past participle of cohaerere, "to stick together," + -ive.

Cohn

German

From German Kohn, from Konrad, popularized among Jews for its similarity to Hebrew kohén ("priest").

cohort

Latin

From Latin cohors, cohort- meaning an enclosure or a company of soldiers; a cohort was one tenth of a Roman legion.

cohran

Origin

Variant of Cochrane.

coif

Origin

From Middle English coif, coife, coyf, coyfe, coyffe, from Old French coife, coiffe, from Late Latin cofia, from Proto-West Germanic *kuffju, related to Old High German kupphia, kupha, kupfe (“mug, hood, cap”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppijǭ (“cap, hat, bonnet, headpiece”), Proto-Germanic *kuppō (“vat, mug, cup”), from pre-Germanic *kubná-, from Proto-Indo-European *gup- (“round object, knoll”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch, vault”). Cognate with Middle High German kupfe (“cap, headgear, helmet”).

coiffure

Origin

Borrowed from French coiffure.

coil

Latin

From Old French coillir, "to gather or pick," ultimately from Latin colligere, "to collect" — the same root that gives us "collect" and "cull."

Coimbatore

Origin

Borrowed from Tamil கோயம்புத்தூர் (kōyamputtūr).

coin

Latin

From Old French coigne, "wedge" or "die for stamping money," from Latin cuneus, "wedge" — coins were originally struck using wedge-shaped dies.

coinage

Origin

Inherited from Middle English coynage, from Old French coignage, from coignier. By surface analysis, coin + -age.

coincide

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin coincidere, from con- + incidere, "to fall into" (from cadere, "to fall").

coincidence

French

From French coïncidence, built from coincide + -ence.

coincident

Origin

The adjective is borrowed from French coïncident, from Medieval Latin coincidentem, an accusative singular form of Latin coincidēns (“coinciding”), the present active participle of coincidō (“to coincide”), from co- (variant of con- (prefix denoting a being or bringing together of several objects)) + incidō (“to fall into any condition”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂d- (“to fall”)). The noun is derived from the adjective.

coincidental

Origin

From co- + incidental.

coincidentally

Origin

From coincidental + -ly.

coinfuse

Origin

From co- + infuse.

coinstantial

Origin

From co- + instantial or co- + instance + -ial.

coir

Malayalam

From Malayalam kayar 'cord, rope', related to the verb meaning 'to be twisted'; the word reached English through Portuguese traders in India.

coitus

Latin

From Latin coitus, "a coming together," from coire, "to go together."

cojones

Spanish

Borrowed directly from Spanish cojones, "testicles."

coke

Origin · 1600

Origin uncertain; first recorded in the 1600s, possibly related to an old word for "core," referring to what's left after coal is burned down.

coker

Origin

From coke plus the suffix -er.