"C" Word Origins

comical

Latin

From Latin comicus (\"comic\"), reshaped in Middle English with the suffix -al.

coming

Middle English

From Middle English cominge, comynge, comande, from Old English cumende, from Proto-Germanic *kwemandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *kwemaną (“to come”), equivalent to come + -ing (present participle ending). Cognate with Dutch komend (“coming”), German kommend (“coming”), Swedish kommande (“coming”), Icelandic komandi (“coming”).

comitative

Origin

From Latin comitātum (“that which is accompanied”).

comma

Greek

From Greek kómma ("piece cut off"), from kóptō ("to cut") — originally referring to a short clause or "cut" of a sentence before it named the punctuation mark itself.

command

Late Latin

From Old French comander, from Late Latin commandare, ultimately from Latin com- + mandare ("to entrust, order") — a relative of "commend," "mandate," and "recommend."

commandant

French

From French commandant, the present participle of commander ("to command").

commandeer

Dutch · 1800

From Dutch commanderen ("to command"), reaching English partly through Afrikaans kommandeer during the Boer Wars in the late 1800s.

commander

Old French

From Old French comandeor, from comander ("to command").

commandery

Origin

From French commanderie, from Late Latin commendaria, from Latin commendare. In the Chinese administrative division sense, used as a translation of 府 (fǔ) and 郡 (jùn).

commandment

Old French

From Old French comandement, from comander ("to command").

commando

Latin

From Afrikaans kommando, tracing back through Portuguese comando to Latin commendare.

commemorate

Latin

From Latin commemorare, from com- + memorare ("to bring to mind"), related to "memory."

commemoration

Latin

From Old French commemoration, from Latin commemoratio.

commemorative

New Latin

From New Latin commemorativus, built on commemorare ("to commemorate").

commence

Latin

From Old French comencer, ultimately from Latin com- + initiare ("to initiate").

commencement

French

From French commencement, formed from commence + -ment.

commend

Latin

From Latin commendare ("to entrust, recommend"), from com- + mandare — a doublet of "command."

commendable

Latin

From Latin commendabilis, from commendare ("to commend").

commendation

Latin

From Old French commendacion, from Latin commendatio ("recommendation, praise").

commendatory

Origin

From commend + -atory.

commensal

Origin

From Middle English commensal, from Old French commensal, from Medieval Latin commensālis, from com- + mensa (“table”) + -ālis.

commensurate

Latin

From late Latin commensuratus, from com- with and mensurare to measure, from mensura a measure.

comment

Late Latin

From Old French coment, from Late Latin commentum ("interpretation, comment").

commentary

Latin

From Latin commentarius ("notebook, memorandum"), related to "comment."

commentator

Latin

From Latin commentator ("author, interpreter"), related to "comment."

commerce

Latin

From Middle French commerce, from Latin commercium ("trade"), from com- + merx ("merchandise").

commercial

Late Latin

From French commercial, from Late Latin commercialis, from Latin commercium ("commerce").

commie

Origin

A slangy shortening of "communist" with the diminutive suffix -ie.

commingle

Origin

From com- + mingle.

comminute

Origin

From Latin comminūtus (“crumbled, lessened”).

commiserate

Origin

From commiserātus, the perfect passive participle of commiseror.

commiseration

Origin

From Middle French commisération.

commissar

German

Borrowed from Russian komissár, itself from German Kommissar ("commissioner") — a doublet of "commissary."

commissary

Late Latin

From Late Latin commissarius, from committere ("to entrust") — a doublet of "commissar."

commission

Latin

From Old French commission, from Latin commissio ("a sending together"), from com- + missio ("sending").

commissioner

Medieval Latin

From Anglo-Norman commissionaire, from Medieval Latin commissionarius, ultimately from Latin commissio — a doublet of "commissionaire."

commit

Latin

From Latin committere ("to bring together, entrust"), from com- + mittere ("to send") — related to "mission."

commitment

Origin

Formed from commit + -ment.

committee

Origin

From commit + -ee, or else revival of Anglo-Norman commite, past participle of commettre (“to commit”), from Latin committere, from con- (“with”) + mittere (“to send”). The OED3 prefers the first etymology.

commix

Origin

From Middle English commixt, commixte, commyxt (past participle), from Latin commixtus, past participle of commisceō, with the -t later re-analyzed as the past participial ending; equivalent to com- + mix, modelled on Latin commisceō.

commixtion

Origin

From Middle English commixtion, from Middle French commixtion, and its source, Latin commixtiōnem, from commiscēre (“to mix”).

commo

Origin

Clipping of communication + -o.

commode

French

From French commode, literally "convenient" — the same root gives us the adjective commodious.

commodious

Origin

From Middle English commodious (“convenient, advantageous”), from Anglo-Norman commodious, Old French commodieux, directly from Medieval Latin commodiosus (“convenient, useful”), irregularly from Latin commodus (“suitable, fit, convenient”), from com- + modus (“measure, manner”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *med- (“to measure”). Analyzable as commode (“to provide with an appropriate or necessary thing; to suit”) + -ious.

commodity

Latin

From Latin commoditas, "convenience, fitness," from commodus ("suitable"), the same root as commode and accommodate.

Commodore

Dutch

Borrowed from Dutch kommandeur, from Middle French commandeur. See command, compare commend (a doublet), and mandate.

Commodus

Latin

From Borrowed from Latin Commodus, ultimately Latin commodus (“suitable; convenient”).

common

Latin

From Old French comun, from Latin communis ("shared, general, public") — ultimately from roots meaning "held together."