"C" Word Origins

comply

Latin

From Italian complire and related Romance forms meaning "to fulfil, carry out," ultimately from Latin complere, "to complete or fill up."

component

Latin

Borrowed from Latin compōnēns, compōnēntis, present participle of compōnō (“assemble, put together”).

comport

Origin

From late Middle English comporten, from Old French comporter, from Latin comportare (“to bring together”), from com- (“together”) + portare (“to carry”).

comportment

Origin

From Late Middle French comportement. By surface analysis, comport + -ment.

compose

Latin

From Old French composer, adapted from Latin componere, "to put together," from com- ("together") + ponere ("to place").

composer

Origin

From "compose" + the agent suffix "-er."

composite

Latin

From Latin compositus, "put together," the past participle of componere. A doublet of "compost" and "compote," which come from the same Latin root.

composition

Latin

From Old French composicion, from Latin compositio, the noun form of componere.

compositor

Origin

From French compositeur, from Latin compositor.

compost

Latin

From Old Northern French compost, "a mixture of leaves, manure, and the like for fertilizing land," ultimately from Latin compositus, "put together." A doublet of "compote" and "composite."

composure

Origin

From "compose" + the noun suffix "-ure."

compote

Latin

Borrowed from French compote. A doublet of "composite" and "compost," which share the same Latin root, compositus.

compound

Latin

Possibly from Malay kampung, "a group of buildings or village," reshaped over time under the influence of the unrelated English word meaning "to combine," from Latin componere.

compound interest

English

From compound, meaning combined or added together, plus interest, the charge or payment for the use of money; so named because each period's interest is added to the sum on which the next period's interest is worked out.

comprehend

Latin

From Latin comprehendere, "to grasp," from com- + prehendere ("to seize").

comprehension

Latin

From Latin comprehensio, "a taking together," from comprehendere — see "comprehend."

comprehensive

Late Latin

From Late Latin comprehensivus, from Latin comprehendere — see "comprehend."

compress

Latin

From Latin compressus, past participle of comprimere, "to press together," from com- + premere ("to press").

compression

Latin

From Latin compressio, from comprimere — see "compress."

compressor

Origin

From "compress" + the agent suffix "-or."

comprise

Latin

From Old French comprendre ("to include"), ultimately from Latin comprehendere — see "comprehend."

compromise

Latin

From Latin compromissum, "a mutual promise to accept an arbiter's decision," from com- ("together") + promittere ("to promise").

Compton

Old English

From Old English Cumbtūn. Equivalent to combe (“valley”) + -ton (“town”).

comptroller

French

A spelling variant of "controller," reshaped in late Middle English through a mistaken association with the French word compte, "account." The two spellings were once pronounced identically.

compulsatory

Origin

Latin compulsāt- (perfect passive participial stem of the Latin compulsō) + English -ory

compulsion

Latin

From Latin compulsio, from compellere, "to compel or coerce."

compulsive

Latin

From French compulsif, from Latin compulsus, past participle of compellere, "to compel."

compulsory

Late Latin

From Late Latin compulsorius, from Latin compulsus — see "compulsion."

compunction

Origin

From Middle English compunccion, borrowed from Old French compunction, from Late Latin compunctionem (“a pricking”), from Latin compunctus, the past participle of compungere (“to severely prick”), from com- + pungere (“to prick”).

compurgation

Origin

From Latin compurgātiōnem, from compurgāre (“to purify”).

computation

Latin

From Latin computatio, from computare, "to reckon or compute."

computational

Origin

From computation + -al.

compute

Latin

Borrowed from French computer, from Latin computare, "to calculate." A doublet of "count."

computer

Origin · 1600

From compute + -er. Originally, from the 1600s, it meant a person who computes — the machine sense only took over around the end of the 19th century.

computing

Origin

Formed from compute plus the suffix -ing, turning the verb into a noun describing the activity itself.

comrade

French

Traces back through French camarade to Spanish and Italian words meaning "chamber mate" — someone who shared a room, especially soldiers billeted together.

comradery

French

An English respelling of camaraderie, from French camaraderie, from camarade "comrade"; the spelling has been reshaped after the English word comrade.

Comstock

Origin · 1800

Named after Anthony Comstock, a 19th-century American anti-vice campaigner whose name became attached to strict censorship laws he championed.

comte

Latin

Borrowed directly from French comte, itself descended from the Latin word behind "count."

comtesse

French

Borrowed from French comtesse, the feminine form of comte ("count").

con

Old English

The "trick" and "convict" senses are shortened forms of confidence (as in "confidence trick") and convict. The older verb sense meaning "to study closely" comes from Old English cunnan, "to know" — the same root as "can."

Conan

Irish

From Irish Conán, from Middle Irish Conán, from Primitive Irish ᚉᚑᚅᚐᚅᚅ (conann), a derivative of Proto-Celtic *kū (“dog”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ.

concave

Origin

From Middle English concave, from Old French concave, from Latin concavus.

conceal

Latin

From Old French conceler, "to hide or disguise," ultimately from Latin concēlāre, "to carefully hide."

concealment

Old French

Built from conceal plus the noun-forming suffix -ment, tracing back to Old French concelement.

concede

Latin

From Latin concēdō, "to give way, yield" — combining con- ("wholly") with cēdō ("to yield, go").

conceit

Latin

From Middle English conceyte, shaped by analogy with pairs like deceive/deceit — ultimately from the same Latin root as "concept."

conceited

Origin

From conceit plus the adjective-forming suffix -ed.