Etymograph

English

arch

Arch comes from Old French arche ‘an arch’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*arkuosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarcus‘a bow, arc, arch’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arc
  6. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400arche‘an arch’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arch
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2024same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷ-reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂erkʷosreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*arkuosreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarcus‘a bow, arc, arch’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400arc
  6. Old French, derivedc. 842–1400arche‘an arch’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arch
  8. Englishearliest quotation 2024same form

Earliest quotation: 2024, Philip Haigh, Comment: Who will run our railways?: “GBR will either be letting operating contracts or running…”

Linked words

through Latin arcus ‘a bow, arc, arch’

arcade, arson, arco, arcuate, 12 more

through Old French arc

arc, 2 more

Another origin of arch

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ergʰ-uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄρχωárkhō‘to be ruler’
  3. Englishtodayarch

"Principal" is the original sense; "mischievous" is via onetime frequent collocation with rogue, knave, etc.

Another origin of arch

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tetḱ-‘to create, produce’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tétḱō‘carpenter’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*téktōnreconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέκτωνtéktōn‘one who works with wood: carpenter, builder’
  5. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀρχιτέκτωνarkhitéktōn‘chief constructor, master builder, architect’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarchitectus‘architect, master builder’
  7. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEarchitectūra‘architecture’
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentarchitecture
  9. English1500–presentsame form
  10. Englishtodayarch

Today it means

noun An inverted U shape.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- / arch

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