"C" Word Origins

convince

Latin

From Latin convincere, "to prove, to demonstrate conclusively" — from con- + vincere ("to conquer").

convive

Origin

Borrowed from French convive.

convivial

Origin

Borrowed from French convivial, from Latin convīvium (“a feast”), combined form of con- (“together”) + vīvō (“to live”).

conviviality

Origin

From convivial + -ity.

convocation

Origin

From Middle English convocacioun, from Old French convocation, from Latin convocatio, convocationem.

convoke

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French convoquer, from Latin convocare, from con- (“with”) + vocō (“to call”). Doublet of convocate.

convoluted

Latin

From Latin convolutus, "rolled together, twisted" — related to "revolve."

convoy

Latin

From Old French convoier, ultimately from Latin via, "way" — the same root as "convey."

convulse

Origin

From Latin convulsus, past participle of convellere (“to pluck up, dislocate, convulse”), from com- (“together”) + vellere (“to pluck, pull”). Doublet of convel.

convulsion

Origin

From Latin convulsiō, from convellō.

convulsions

Latin

From Latin convulsio, from convellere "to pull violently, to wrench", from con- (intensive) and vellere "to pluck, pull".

Conway

Welsh

Anglicization of Welsh Conwy

cony

Origin

From Middle English cony, back formation from conies (plural), from Anglo-Norman conis, the plural of connil (“rabbit”), from Latin cunīculus, of unknown origin. Cognate to Catalan conill, Dutch konijn, German Kaninchen, Spanish conejo, and Portuguese coelho. The original pronunciation was /ˈkʌni/ (for the spelling, compare honey and money), but the similarity to cunt (and particularly homophony with cunny) led through taboo avoidance both to the word's displacement in the main by rabbit and bunny and to the spelling-pronunciation /ˈkəʊni/ becoming standard.

coo

Origin

Imitative of the sound itself.

cooch

Origin

Clipping of coochie.

coochie

Origin

Possibly a clipping of hootchy-kootchy. Alternatively, possibly from cunt with influence from American slang term cookie (“vulva”). References to coochee dance (with various spellings) are attested from the end of the 19th century. The sense of “vagina or vulva” is attested from the early 20th century. Compare hoochie.

cooee

Origin

Borrowed from Dharug guuu-wi, adopted into English by white settlers in Australia from 1790.

Coogan

Irish

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Cogadháin (“son of Cogadhán”), a diminutive from a reduced form of the personal name Cúchogaidh, which is composed of the elements cú (“hound”) and cogadh (“war”).

cook

Latin

From Old English coc, ultimately from Latin coquus, "cook" — related to the Latin verb coquere, "to cook."

cookbook

German

A compound of cook and book, possibly modelled on the German Kochbuch.

cooked

Origin

Simply the past participle of the verb cook, extended over time into an adjective for anything "done" — whether that's food, a person's prospects, or someone's sobriety.

cooker

Origin

From cook + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (patient suffix) (apple; one who is cooked).

cookery

Middle English

From Middle English cokerie, built from cook plus the suffix -ery, the same pattern seen in "bakery" or "brewery."

cookhouse

Origin

From cook + house. Used in Middle English (1296) in a name (Cokehuse), perhaps referring to a kitchen or a restaurant.

cookie

Dutch

Borrowed from Dutch koekie, a diminutive of koek ("cake"), ultimately related to English "cake." It has no connection to the verb "cook." The computing sense comes from the older programming term "magic cookie," a chunk of data passed between programs.

cooking

Origin

Formed from cook plus the ending -ing, used both as the ordinary noun for the activity and as an adjective for ingredients meant for the kitchen rather than the table.

cookout

Origin

A straightforward compound of cook and out, describing food cooked and eaten outdoors.

cool

Old English

From Old English cōl, going back through Proto-Germanic to a root meaning "to freeze" or "be cold" — the same ancient root that gave English the word "cold."

coolant

Origin

Built from cool plus the suffix -ant, which typically marks a substance that performs an action (compare "lubricant," "deodorant").

coolbox

Origin

From cool + box.

coolchest

Origin

From cool + chest. Compare West Frisian kuolkast and Dutch koelkast (literally “cool-chest”), German Kühlschrank.

Cooler

German

Americanized spelling of German Kühler.

Coolidge

Origin

Variant of Collidge.

coolie

Hindi

Borrowed from Hindi/Urdu qulī ("hired laborer"), itself possibly traceable to Ottoman Turkish or a Gujarati tribal name; the word spread through European colonial trade to describe indentured Asian laborers.

cooling

Origin

By surface analysis, cool + -ing.

coolly

Origin

Formed from the adjective cool plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

coolness

Middle English

From Middle English colnes, colnesse, from Old English cōlnes, cœ̄lnes, cēlnes (“coolness; cool air, breeze”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlinassī, equivalent to cool + -ness. Cognate with Middle High German kuolnisse, küelnisse (“cooling, coolness”).

Cools

Dutch

From Dutch Cools.

coon

Origin

A shortened form of raccoon; the racist sense developed later as a derogatory extension.

Cooney

Irish

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cuana (“descendant of Cuana”), a personal name either derived from cú (“hound”) or cuanna (“elegant, comely”).

coop

Old English

From Old English cȳpe ("basket, cask"), likely related to Dutch and Low German words for a cask or container — the sense narrowed over time to mean a pen for animals.

cooper

Origin

Built from coop (an earlier word for a cask) plus the agent suffix -er — literally "one who makes casks."

cooperate

Late Latin

From Late Latin cooperari ("to work with"), built from co- ("together") plus operari ("to work") — the same root that gives us "operate."

cooperation

Late Latin

Borrowed from French coopération, from Late Latin cooperatio, built the same way as cooperate — from co- ("together") and operari ("to work").

cooperative

Origin

Formed from co- ("together") plus operative, following the same pattern as cooperate.

coordinate

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin coordinatus, built from co- ("together") and ordinare ("to arrange, put in order") — the same root as "ordain" and "order."

coordination

Late Latin

From Late Latin coordinatio, formed the same way as coordinate — from co- ("together") and ordinare ("to arrange").

coordinator

Origin

Formed from coordinate plus the agent suffix -or — literally "one who coordinates."