English
cuirassier
Cuirassier comes from Old French cuiracer ‘a make of cuirasses’, from Late Latin coriāceus ‘leather’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)koryóm.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)koryómreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korjomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorium‘leather’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcoriāceusas coriacea‘leather’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500coirassa
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cuirace‘cuirass’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400cuiracer‘a make of cuirasses’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcuirassier
- Englishearliest quotation 2011same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)koryómreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*korjomreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorium‘leather’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcoriāceusas coriacea‘leather’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500coirassa
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400cuirace‘cuirass’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400cuiracer‘a make of cuirasses’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcuirassier
- Englishearliest quotation 2011same form
Earliest quotation: 2011, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography – A History of the Middle East: “His vision was secular: the high priests 'will wear…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’
short, share, across, card, screen, score, cross, cancer, shirt, circle, crucial, scare, circuit, curve, carnival, skirt, scar, cancellation, scrutiny, shrine, circulation, crest, circus, curb, corona, shear, circa, scorpion, shred, carnage, carcinoma, corolla, incarceration, scorn, shrewd, crux, raffle, shard, carnal, riddance, 118 more
through Latin corium ‘leather’
Today it means
noun A cavalry soldier equipped with a cuirass (armor).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *(s)koryóm / cuirassier