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locomotive

The origin and history of locomotive.

Etymology

From French locomotif, built from Latin locō ("from a place") and a Latin-derived word for "moving." Originally a general adjective for anything self-propelling, it narrowed to mean the train engine specifically from around 1814.

Origin: Latin · First attested 1814

Class of 1814

locomotive first entered the language around 1814. Other words from the same year:

See the full Class of 1814 →
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Etymology: FreeDict original editorial.