"C" Word Origins

collegiate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin collegiatus, from collegium, meaning "community" or "group".

collet

Origin

From Middle French collet. Doublet of collar.

collide

Latin

From Latin collidere, "to strike together" — from com- ("together") and laedere ("to strike or hurt").

collider

Origin

From collide plus the agent suffix -er, "a thing that collides (particles)."

collie

Origin

Origin uncertain, possibly linked to "coal" as a reference to the dog's dark coloring.

collier

Old English

From Middle English colier/colyer ("charcoal maker or seller"), from Old English col ("coal") plus the occupational suffix -ier.

colliery

Origin

From collier + -y.

Collins

Origin

* As an English surname, variant of Colin. * As an Irish and Manx surname, from Ó Coileáin (“descendant of Coileán”), see Cullen, McQuillan, and McCallion. * As a French surname, Americanized from Collin and Colette. * As a Slovene surname, Americanized from Kolenc, from koleno (“knee”) and the obsolete kolenc (“nipplewort”).

collision

Origin

From Middle French collision, from Latin collīsiō (“clash, concussion, collision”) (whence -ion (noun suffix denoting action, result, process, state, condition)), from collīsus (“clashed together, conflicted, contended”), past participle of collīdō (“to clash, strike, dash, beat, or press together”) (whence collide), from con- (“together”) + laedō (“to strike, collide, hurt”) (whence col- (assimilated form of com-)).

collocate

Origin

Borrowed from Latin collocatum, supine of collocō. Doublet of couch.

collocation

Latin

From Latin collocare meaning to place together, from com- with and locare to place.

collogue

Origin

First attested in 1590s (as colloguing), presumably from colleague (“to associate”) and French colloque (“secret meeting”), from Latin colloquium (English colloquy), possibly influenced by dialogue. Ultimately from Latin collega (“a partner in office”) + Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “speech; oration; discourse”), perhaps partly via Latin loquor (“to speak”).

collop

Origin

Late Middle English, of North Germanic origin, from Swedish kalops (“stewed meat”), from Old Swedish kollops (“slices of beef stew”). Cognate to German Klops (“dish of meat made tender by beating”).

colloquial

Latin

From Latin colloquium meaning a conversation, from com- together and loqui to speak.

collude

Origin

* From Latin collūdere, from con- and lūdere (“to play”).

collum

Origin

Borrowed from Latin collum (“the neck”). Doublet of col.

collusion

Latin

From Old French collusion, from Latin collusio, "act of colluding" — secretly playing along together.

Colm

Irish

From Irish Colm, from Late Latin Columba (literally “dove”), the name of a sixth century saint, one of the patron saints of Ireland and Scotland. Doublet of Calum.

Cologne

German · 1700

Named after the German city of Cologne, where this style of citrus-based fragrance was first developed in the early 1700s.

Colombia

Origin

Named after the explorer Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo).

Colombian

Origin

Formed from the country name Colombia, itself named after explorer Christopher Columbus, plus the suffix "-an" meaning "of or belonging to."

Colombo

Portuguese

From Portuguese Colombo, modification (under the influence of the Italian surname, see below) of Sinhalese කොලොන් තොට (kolon toṭa, literally “port on the river Kelani”). Other theories derive the name from Veddah; see w:Colombo § Etymology for more.

colon

Latin

From Latin colon, "a clause of a poem," from Greek kolon, "limb, clause, part of a verse" — the intestinal sense comes from a separate, similar-looking Greek word for the organ.

colonel

Latin

From Middle French coronnel, from Italian colonnello ("commander of a column of soldiers"), from Latin columna ("column, pillar"). The English spelling was later changed to match the Italian, but the older "r" pronunciation stuck, which is why "colonel" is pronounced like "kernel."

colonelcy

Origin

From colonel + -cy.

colonial

Origin

From colony plus the adjective suffix -al.

colonialism

Origin

From colonial plus -ism, following the pattern of naming political systems and ideologies.

colonialistic

Origin

From colonialist + -ic.

colonic

Origin

From colon plus the adjective suffix -ic.

colonization

Origin

From colonize plus the noun suffix -ation.

colonize

Origin

From colony plus the verb suffix -ize.

Colonna

Italian

Borrowed from Italian Colonna.

colonoscopy

Latin

From colono- (relating to the colon) plus -scopy ("viewing, examining"), from Greek skopein, "to look at."

colony

Latin

From Latin colonia ("settlement, farm"), from colonus ("farmer, settler"), from colere, "to till or cultivate."

coloplasty

Origin

From colo- + -plasty.

color

Latin

From Old French colour/color, from Latin color. This American spelling was popularized by Noah Webster to match the Latin root more directly than the British "colour."

Colorado

Spanish

From Spanish colorado, meaning "reddish" or "colored," originally describing the reddish, silt-heavy water of the Colorado River.

coloration

Origin

From French coloration, from Latin colōrātiō.

colorful

Origin

From color plus -ful.

colorise

Origin

From color + -ise.

colossal

Latin

From French colossal, from Latin colossus, from Greek kolossos, "giant statue."

Colosseum

Late Latin

From Late Latin, based on Latin colosseus ("colossal"), referring to a giant statue that once stood nearby.

colossus

Latin

From Latin colossus, from Greek kolossos, "giant statue" — most famously the Colossus of Rhodes.

colostomy

Greek

From colo- ("colon") plus -stomy ("surgical opening"), from Greek stoma, "mouth."

colotomy

Origin

From colo- + -tomy.

colourful

Origin

From colour plus -ful.

colourise

Origin

From colour + -ise.

colourwash

Origin

From colour + wash.