English
closet
Closet comes from Old French closet ‘a small enclosed area, such as a field or a…’, from clos ‘private space’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- ‘key, hook, nail’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kleh₂w-‘key, hook, nail’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*klaudō‘to close’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclaudō‘to shut, close’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEclausus‘shut, closed’perfect passive participle of claudō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEclausum
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400clos‘private space’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400closet‘a small enclosed area, such as a field or a paddock’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1370same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kleh₂w-‘key, hook, nail’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*klaudō‘to close’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEclaudō‘to shut, close’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEclausus‘shut, closed’perfect passive participle of claudō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEclausum
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400clos‘private space’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400closet‘a small enclosed area, such as a field or a paddock’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1370same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1370, Robert Cicyle: “A slepe hym toke / In hys closet.”
Formed from close + -et
Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- ‘key, hook, nail’
…
Proto-West Germanic *klūsijan ‘to enclose’
Old English clȳsan ‘to close, shut’
Middle English clusen ‘to close’
Middle English closen ‘to close, enclose’
English close
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- ‘key, hook, nail’
include, cataract, conclave, subclavian, 29 more
through Proto-Italic *klaudō ‘to close’
through Latin claudō ‘to shut, close’
exclusive, conclusion, inclusion, inclusive, conclude, exclude, closure, disclose, preclude, sluice, occlusion, recluse, claustrophobia, cloister, enclose, 29 more
through Latin clausus ‘shut, closed’
Today it means
noun A small room within a house used to store clothing, food, or other household supplies.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂w- / closet