"T" Word Origins

tradesman

Origin

From trade + the suffix -s-man, following the same pattern as "craftsman" or "workman."

tradeswoman

Origin

From trade + -s- + woman.

tradition

Latin

From Old French tradicion, from Latin trāditiō ("a handing over"), from trādō, "to hand down" — the same root that gives us "traitor" (someone who hands their country over to an enemy).

traditional

Origin

From tradition + the adjective-forming suffix -al.

traduce

Origin

From Latin trādūcō (“carry over; lead as a spectacle, dishonor”), from trāns + dūcō (“to lead”). Doublet of transduce, from Latin trānsdūcō.

traducement

Origin

From traduce + -ment.

Trafalgar

Arabic

From Arabic طَرَف الغَار (ṭaraf al-ḡār, literally “cape of laurel”). The place in Australia is named for the battle.

traffic

Vulgar Latin

From Middle French trafique, from Italian traffico ("trade"), from trafficare ("to carry on trade"), of uncertain further origin — possibly from Vulgar Latin or Arabic.

trafficator

Origin

From traffic + -ator.

trafficked

Origin

From traffic + -ed.

trafficker

Origin

From traffic + -er.

trafficking

Origin

From traffic + -ing.

Trafford

Old English

From Old English træppe (“(fish)-trap”) + ford.

tragedy

Ancient Greek

From Old French tragedie, from Latin tragoedia, from Ancient Greek tragōidía, literally "goat-song" — likely a reference to the goat-costumed performers in early Greek drama, though the exact link is debated.

tragic

Ancient Greek

From Ancient Greek tragikós ("of tragedy"), from trágos ("goat"), tied to the same obscure goat-related origin as "tragedy."

trail

Latin

From Old French trailler ("to tow, or track a scent"), ultimately from Latin trahere, "to pull or drag."

trailblazer

English

A compound of trail and blaze in its sense of marking trees with cuts to show a route through forest.

trailblazing

Origin

From trail + blazing.

trailer

Origin

From trail + -er. The film-preview sense dates back to when previews were shown after ("trailing") the main feature, rather than before it as is standard today.

train

Latin

From Old French train ("a drawing out, a delay"), from traïner ("to pull, to draw"), ultimately from Latin trahere, "to pull or drag" — the sense "to teach" developed later in Middle English by extension.

trained

Origin

From train + -ed.

trainee

Origin

From train + -ee, the suffix marking someone who receives an action (compare "employee").

trainload

Origin

From train + load.

traipse

Origin

Likely from French trépasser (“pass over or beyond”).

trait

Latin

From Middle French trait ("line, feature"), from Latin tractus ("a drawing, a pulling"), from trahere ("to draw"). A doublet of "tract."

traitor

Latin

From Old French traïtor, from Latin trāditor ("one who hands over"), from trādō, "to hand down or surrender" — a doublet of "tradition."

traitorize

Origin

From traitor + -ize.

traitorly

Origin

From traitor + -ly.

traitorous

Old French

From Old French traitros, related to traïtor ("traitor").

traitorsome

Origin

From traitor + -some.

traject

Origin

From Latin trāiectus, from trāiciō: compare French trajet.

trajectory

New Latin

From New Latin trāiectōria, coined from Latin trāiectus ("thrown across"), from trans- ("across") + iaciō ("to throw").

tram

German

From Scots, probably from Low German traam ("shaft, beam"); the rail-vehicle sense grew out of "tramway," originally a log-covered road later used for horse-drawn coal carts called trams.

tramcar

Origin

From tram + car.

trammel

Origin

From Middle English trameyle, from Old French tramail (“net for catching fish”), from Late Latin tremaculum, from tri- (“tri-”) + macula (“spot, speck; mesh, cell”). Cognate with Italian tramaglio (“trammel”), Spanish trasmallo (“drift net”).

tramontane

Origin

From Old French tramontane, from Italian tramontana.

tramp

Middle English

From Middle English trampen ("to walk heavily"), from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch trampen ("to stamp"), related to "trample."

tramper

Origin

From tramp + -er.

trample

Middle English

From Middle English tramplen, formed from tramp + the frequentative suffix -le, suggesting repeated heavy steps.

trampoline

Italian · 1936

From Spanish trampolín and Italian trampolino, becoming a genericized trademark in English after being registered in 1936, though the word had already been in use since the 1790s.

trampy

Origin

From tramp + -y.

Tran

Origin

A clipped, informal form influenced by the prefix "trans-," also coinciding with a common Vietnamese surname.

trance

Latin

From Anglo-Norman transe ("fear of coming evil, passage from life to death"), from transir ("to be numb with fear, to pass on"), from Latin trānseō, "to cross over."

tranche

French

From French tranche 'a slice', from trancher 'to cut'.

Trang

Origin

Borrowed from Vietnamese Trang. Doublet of Zhuang.

trank

Origin

Attested since the 1860s, of unclear origin. Perhaps from French tranche.

tranny

Origin

A shortened, informal form of words beginning with "trans-" (transmission, transistor, transgender), plus the diminutive suffix -y.

tranquil

Latin

From Latin tranquillus, from trans- + a root related to quiēs ("rest, peace"), ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to rest."