"C" Word Origins

cornrow

Origin

Compound of corn + row, reflecting the figurative evocation of rows of corn in a cornfield.

cornstalk

Origin

From corn + stalk.

cornucopia

Latin

From Latin "cornu copiae," literally "horn of plenty."

Cornwall

Old English

From Old English "Cornwēalas," combining a Celtic root meaning "horn" (referring to the peninsula's shape) with "wealh" ("foreigner" or "Briton"). Related to "Wales" and "Welsh."

corny

Origin

From "corn" plus "-y." The "hackneyed" sense is said to come from cheap jokes once printed in mail-order seed catalogues aimed at farmers.

corolla

Latin

From Latin "corolla," a diminutive of "corona" ("wreath" or "garland").

corollary

Origin

From Middle English, from Late Latin corōllārium (“money paid for a garland; gift, gratuity, corollary; consequence, deduction”), from corōlla (“small garland”), diminutive of corōna (“crown”).

corona

Latin

From Latin "corona" ("crown, garland"), from Greek "korōnē." A doublet of "crown" and "krone."

Coronado

Spanish

From Spanish coronado, meaning "crowned."

coronal

Latin

From Latin "corōnālis," related to "corōna" ("crown").

coronary

Latin

From Latin "corōnārius," related to "corōna" ("crown"), since these vessels encircle the heart like a crown.

coronate

Origin

First attested in 1623; borrowed from Latin corōnātus (“crowned”), perfect passive participle of corōnō (“to crown”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from corōna (“crown”) + -ō.

coronation

Latin

From Old French coronacion, tracing back to Latin corona, "crown" — the same root as "crown" and "corona".

coroner

Medieval Latin

From Old French curuner, ultimately from Medieval Latin for "guardian of the crown's pleas" — the role began as a way of protecting the king's legal and financial interests.

coronet

Origin

From Middle French couronnette, from Old French coronete, diminutive of corone (“crown”), from Latin corona, from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater; a crow; anything curved or hooked (like a door handle or the tip of a bow); a type of crown”).

coronial

Origin

From coroner + -ial. By surface analysis, Latin coron(a) (“crown, wreath”) + -i- + -al.

coroniform

Origin

From Latin corona (“crown”) + -iform.

corporal

Latin

From Old French corporal, from Latin corporalis, "of the body" — from corpus, "body". The military rank likely developed via Italian caporale, "head of a squad," which got reshaped in English to look like the "body" word.

corporate

Latin

From Latin corporatus, "made into a body," from corpus, "body" — the idea of many individuals forming one legal "body".

corporation

Latin

From Latin corporatio, "the forming of a body," from corporare, "to form into a body" — from corpus, "body".

corporeal

Origin

From Middle English corporealle, equivalent to Latin corporeus + -al, from corpus (“body”); compare corporal.

corporeity

Origin

From French corporéité or Medieval Latin corporeitas, from Latin corporeus, from corpus (“body”).

corposant

Origin

Latin corpus (“body”) + sanctum (“holy”)

corps

Latin

From French corps, "body," from Latin corpus. A doublet of "corpse" and "corpus" — all three trace to the same Latin word.

corpse

Latin

From Old French cors, "body," from Latin corpus. The silent "p" was added later in English spelling to match the Latin original. A doublet of "corps" and "corpus".

corpsman

Origin

A combination of "corps" and "man".

corpulent

Origin

From Middle English corpulent, from Old French corpulent, from Latin corpulentus.

corpus

Latin

Borrowed directly from Latin corpus, "body." A doublet of "corpse" and "corps".

corpuscle

Origin

From Latin corpusculum, diminutive of corpus (“body”).

corral

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish corral — the same root gives Afrikaans-derived English "kraal".

corrasion

Origin

Ultimately from Latin corrasus, past participle of corradere (“to scrape together”), itself from cor- (“form of con- (“together”)”) + radere (“to scratch, scrape”).

correct

Latin

From Latin correctus, "made straight," from corrigere, "to make right" — from com- ("together") plus regere, "to rule or guide straight".

correctedness

Origin

From corrected + -ness.

correction

Latin

From Old French correccion, from Latin correctio — from the same root as "correct".

correctional

Origin

From "correction" plus the adjective suffix "-al".

correctitude

Origin

From correct + -itude.

corrective

French

Borrowed from French correctif, built from "correct" plus the suffix "-ive".

correlation

Middle French

From Middle French corrélation, built from "correlate" plus the suffix "-ion".

correlative

Origin

From correlate + -ive or cor- + relative.

correspond

Latin

From Middle French correspondre, from Latin com- ("with") plus respondere, "to answer" — the same root as "respond".

correspondence

Latin

From Latin correspondentia, related to "correspond" plus the suffix "-ence".

correspondent

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin correspondens, the present participle of correspondere — see "correspond".

corresponding

Origin

By surface analysis, correspond + -ing.

corridor

French

Borrowed from French corridor, from Italian corridore, "long passage," from correre, "to run".

corrie

Scottish Gaelic

From Scottish Gaelic coire, literally "cauldron" or "kettle" — the hollow was thought to look like a giant cooking pot scooped out of the rock.

corrigible

Origin

From Middle English corrigible, corigyble, from Old French corrigible.

corrival

Origin

From Middle French corrival, from Latin corrīvālis.

corroborate

Latin

From Latin corroborare, "to strengthen," from com- ("together") plus roborare, "to strengthen" — ultimately from robur, "strength" (the same root behind "robust").