Etymograph

English

corporal

Corporal comes from Latin corporālis ‘corporeal’, from Proto-Italic *korpos ‘body’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *krep-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krep-‘body’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korpos‘body’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpus
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorporālis‘corporeal’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400corporelas corporal
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500corporal
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krep-‘body’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korpos‘body’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpus
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorporālis‘corporeal’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400corporelas corporal
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500corporal
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1606same form

Earliest quotation: c. 1606, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Macbeth: “Into the air; and what seem'd corporal melted as…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *krep- ‘body’

riff, 6 more

through Proto-Italic *korpos ‘body’

corpse, 9 more

through Latin corpus

corps, incorporate, corpus, incorporation, corse, corsage, corpulent, incorporeal, 10 more

Another origin of corporal

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krépos‘body’uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korpos‘body’uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpus‘body (of troops)’uncertain
  4. Italianc. 1300–presentcaporale‘corporal, lance corporal’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentcaporal
  6. Englishtodaycorporal

From French caporal, probably influenced by corporal (above), from the Italian caporale, from capo (‘head, leader’) from Latin caput (‘head’).

Another origin of corporal

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*krep-‘body’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korpos‘body’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorpus
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorporālisas corporāle‘corporeal’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500corporall
  6. Englishtodaycorporal

Today it means

adj Having a physical, tangible body; material, corporeal.

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *krep- / corporal

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