English
concierge
Concierge comes from French concierge ‘caretaker’, and goes back to Medieval Latin consergius.
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500consergius
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conciarge
- Frenchc. 1600–presentconcierge‘caretaker’
- Englishearliest quotation 2009concierge
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500consergius
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conciarge
- Frenchc. 1600–presentconcierge‘caretaker’
- Englishearliest quotation 2009concierge
Earliest quotation: 2009, Nick Kaye, The Residence Club on Mission Beach: “Underground parking, private storage and daily housekeeping are offered…”
The story
Borrowed from French concierge (‘caretaker; doorkeeper; lodge-keeper of a château’), from Old French conciarge, consierge, consirge, from Medieval Latin consergius; further etymology uncertain, probably from Vulgar Latin *cōnservius, from Latin cōnservus (‘fellow servant; fellow slave’), from con- (prefix denoting a being or bringing together of several objects) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (‘beside, by; near; with’)) + servus (‘servant; slave’) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (‘to guard; to take care of’) + *-wós (suffix forming adjectives from verb stems)).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ser- ‘to flow’
service, sort, series, serve, stream, hero, conservative, desert, insert, reservoir, assertion, sermon, heresy, exert, conservatism, assertive, sorcery, sorcerer, observant, servitude, heretic, sark, strudel, servile, conservator, serf, sere, 34 more
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm ‘beside, by’
among, gain, comply, hind, likeness, kata, limbed, 31 more
through Proto-Italic *kom
cum, consideration, cue, 14 more
through Proto-Italic *kom-
competition, consider, conference, counter, consistent, concrete, con, commodity, compulsory, compel, contra, connotation, condiment, condescend, 15 more
Today it means
noun An employee of a hotel who attends to the requirements and wishes of guests.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Medieval Latin consergius / concierge