"C" Word Origins

cosmopolite

Origin

Borrowed from French cosmopolite, from Latin cosmopolītēs, itself borrowed from Koine Greek κοσμοπολίτης (kosmopolítēs, “citizen of the world”), from Ancient Greek κόσμος (kósmos, “world”) + πολίτης (polítēs, “citizen”).

cosmos

Greek

From Greek kosmos, meaning both "order" and "the universe" — the Greeks saw the universe itself as a supreme example of order.

cosmovision

Origin

From cosmo- + vision.

cosplay

Japanese

From Japanese kosupure, itself a blend of the English words "costume" and "play."

Cossack

French

From French cosaque, from Polish Kozak, ultimately from a Turkic word meaning "free adventurer" or "raider."

cosset

Origin

Perhaps from Middle English cotsete, from Old English cotsǣta (“cottager”), from cot (“cottage”) (Modern English cot (“cottage”) (archaic)) + -sǣta (“-sitter”); compare coscet. Compare German Hauslamm (literally “house lamb”), Italian casiccio.

cossie

Origin

From Cos(worth) + -ie.

cost

Latin

From Old French coster/couster, from Latin constare, "to stand together" or "to be settled at a price."

costa

Latin

Borrowed from Latin costa, meaning "rib" — a doublet of the English word "coast."

Costello

Irish

* As an Irish surname, reduced Anglicized form of Irish Mac Oisdealbhaigh (“son of Oisdealbhach”), a personal name composed of the elements os (“deer”) and dealbhach (“resembling, in the form of”). * As an Italian surname, Americanized from Castello. * As a Serbo-Croatian or Slovene surname, Americanized from Kostelec, Kostevc, from Kostelsko region in Lower Carniola, named after Kostel Castle, from earlier Costel, Slavicized from Latin castrum (“fortress”), hence related to the Italian above.

costful

Origin

From Middle English costful, equivalent to cost + -ful. Perhaps influenced by Middle English costful (“fraught with hardship”), a different word.

costly

Middle English

From Middle English costly, formed from cost plus -ly.

costume

Latin

From French costume, from Italian costume, ultimately from Latin consuetudo, "custom" or "habit." It is a doublet of the words "custom" and "consuetude."

cosy

Norwegian

From Scots cosie, of uncertain origin, possibly related to Norwegian kose seg, "to have a cosy time."

cot

Sanskrit

Borrowed from Hindi khat, ultimately from Sanskrit khatva, meaning "bedstead."

cote

Origin

From Middle English cote, from the Old English cote, the feminine form of cot (“small house”); doublet of cot (in the sense of “cottage”) and more distantly related to cottage. Cognate to Dutch kot.

cotemporaneous

Origin

See contemporaneous.

coterie

French

From French coterie, which earlier meant an association of tenants holding land together, from Old French cotier 'cottager', from cote 'a cottage'.

cotillion

French

From French cotillon, literally "petticoat" — named after the dance's habit of revealing the petticoat as dancers moved.

cotta

Medieval Latin

From Medieval Latin cotta, meaning "clerical tunic."

cottage

French

From Old Northern French cot/cote ("hut"), ultimately from Old Norse kot — the same root that gives German Kate and Swedish kåta.

cotter

Origin

Unknown.

cotton

Old French

From Arabic quṭun via Old Italian and Old French coton, reaching English in the Middle Ages through the medieval cotton trade.

cotton gin

English

Gin here is a shortened form of engine, meaning a mechanical contrivance, and has nothing to do with the drink. The word engine descends from Latin ingenium 'skill, device'.

cottontail

Origin

From cotton + tail.

couch

Old French

From Old French couche, related to the verb coucher ("to lie down").

couch potato

Origin

From couch + potato; coined by Tom Iacino in 1976 as a pun on boob tuber (from boob tube (“television”) and tuber (“potato”)); trademarked by Robert Armstrong from 1976–91.

cougar

French

From French couguar, borrowed from Portuguese, ultimately from an Old Tupi word for the animal.

cough

Old English

From Old English *cohhian, imitating the sound itself — a word that has sounded roughly the same for over a thousand years.

Coughlin

Irish

Anglicized form of Irish Ó Cochláin (“descendant of Cochlán”), a personal name derived from a diminutive of cochal (“cloak, hood”).

could

Old English · 1500

From Old English cūþe, the past tense of cunnan ("to be able"). The "l" was added in the 1500s by analogy with should and would, even though it was never pronounced.

coulee

Origin

From French coulée (“flow”), from couler (“to flow”).

Coulson

Origin

From Cole + -son.

coulter

Latin

From Old English culter, itself from Latin culter meaning "knife" — the same root that gives us "cutlery".

coulton

Origin

Probably from Old English col (“coal”) + tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).

Council

Latin

From Anglo-Norman cuncile, ultimately from Latin concilium ("assembly, meeting").

councillor

Origin

Altered from "counsellor" to match the spelling of "council," since the two words were often confused.

councilman

Origin

From council + man.

councilmember

Origin

From council + member.

councilwoman

Origin

From council + woman.

counsel

Latin

From Old French conseil, from Latin cōnsilium, related to cōnsulō ("to consult, take counsel").

counselor

Latin

From Anglo-Norman cunseiler, ultimately from Latin cōnsilium ("advice, plan").

count

Latin

The counting sense traces to Latin computāre ("to calculate") via Old French; the noble title comes separately from Latin comes ("companion, count").

countable

Origin

From Middle English countable, equivalent to count (“to enumerate”) + -able.

countdown

Origin

From count + down, originally popularized by rocket launches.

countenance

Latin

From Old French contenance, ultimately related to Latin continentia — a distant relative of "continence."

counter

Latin

From Anglo-Norman countour, related to Latin computō — the same root as "count" and "computer."

counteract

Origin

From counter- ("against") + act.