Etymograph

English

dromedary

Dromedary comes from Old French dromedaire ‘dromedary (camel)’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *drem-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*drem-root as named
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*dromadāriusreconstructed
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdromedārius‘kind of camel’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dromedaire‘dromedary (camel)’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dromedari
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1560dromedary

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*drem-root as named
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*dromadāriusreconstructed
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEdromedārius‘kind of camel’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400dromedaire‘dromedary (camel)’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dromedari
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1560dromedary

Earliest quotation: 1560, [William Whittingham et al., Geneva: […] Rouland Hall: “[T]hou art like a ſwift dromedarie, that runneth by…”

The story

Dromas and dromadis are derived from Ancient Greek δρομᾰ́ς (dromắs, “running; dromedary”), an ellipsis of δρομὰς κάμηλος (dromàs kámēlos, “running camel”), from δρόμος (drómos, “race, running; race course, track”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *drem- (‘to run’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *drem-

syndrome, dormant, dormitory, dormer, 25 more

Today it means

noun The single-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius).

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

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *drem- / dromedary

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