English
current
Current comes from Middle English curraunt, and goes back to Old French corant.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400corant
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500curraunt
- Englishearliest quotation 1727current
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400corant
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500curraunt
- Englishearliest quotation 1727current
Earliest quotation: 1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins: “That there was current money in Abraham's time is…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’
charge, career, carry, rush, cargo, carrier, carriage, hurry, intercourse, chariot, carousel, occurrence, recourse, caricature, corral, cursory, hurrah, recursive, carrack, 37 more
through Proto-Italic *korzō ‘to run’
corridor, discourse, courier, concourse, incursion, 22 more
through Latin currō ‘to run’
course, occur, curriculum, precursor, corsair, incur, concur, cursor, hussar, recursion, succour, recur, 25 more
through Latin currens ‘running’
Today it means
noun The generally unidirectional movement of a gas or fluid.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French corant / current