English
corsair
Corsair comes from French corsaire ‘privateer’, from Latin cursus ‘course, a running’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-‘to run’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzō‘to run’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrō‘to run’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcursus‘course, a running’
- Medieval Latinmoderncursārius
- Italianc. 1300–presentcorsaro‘privateering, pirate’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcorsaire‘privateer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1841corsair
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-‘to run’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korzō‘to run’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcurrō‘to run’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcursus‘course, a running’
- Medieval Latinmoderncursārius
- Italianc. 1300–presentcorsaro‘privateering, pirate’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcorsaire‘privateer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1841corsair
Earliest quotation: 1841, –November, Barnaby Rudge. Chapter 34.: “If I had been born a corsair or a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’
career, charge, carry, rush, carrier, cargo, hurry, carriage, occurrence, intercourse, chariot, carousel, caricature, hurrah, recourse, recursive, corral, cursory, carrack, 34 more
through Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’
corridor, courier, concurrent, recurrent, incursion, recursion, 19 more
through Latin currō ‘to run’
current, occur, currency, curriculum, discourse, incur, precursor, concur, cursor, recur, concourse, courant, succour, 23 more
through Latin cursus ‘course, a running’
Today it means
noun A French privateer, especially from the port of Saint-Malo.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- / corsair