Etymograph

English

car

Car comes from Middle English carre ‘cart’, from Anglo-Norman carre, from Latin carrus ‘two-wheeled baggage wagon’, from Gaulish *karros, ultimately from PIE *ḱr̥sós.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sós‘vehicle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*karros‘wagon’reconstructed
  3. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame form‘wagon’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarrus‘two-wheeled baggage wagon’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400carre
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘cart’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1594car

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sós‘vehicle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*karros‘wagon’reconstructed
  3. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CEsame form‘wagon’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarrus‘two-wheeled baggage wagon’
  5. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400carre
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘cart’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1594car

Earliest quotation: 1594, Christopher Marlowe, King of England: […]: “It shall suffice me to enioy your loue, Which…”

Linked words

pairs

  • car and career both from Latin carrus ‘two-wheeled baggage wagon’

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós ‘vehicle’

corral, 12 more

through Gaulish *karros ‘wagon’

discharge, recharge, 10 more

through Latin carrus ‘two-wheeled baggage wagon’

charge, carry, carrier, cargo, carriage, chariot, caricature, carrack, 12 more

Today it means

noun A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with at least three wheels, powered mechanically, steered by a driver and mostly for personal transportation but relatively smaller than a truck/lorry and a bus.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós / car

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