English
king tide
King tide comes from English king ‘something preeminent’.
- English1500–presentking‘something preeminent’
- Englishearliest quotation 2026king tide
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presentking‘something preeminent’
- Englishearliest quotation 2026king tide
Earliest quotation: 2026, Ali Watkins, Large Waves Sweep Napping Beachgoers in California Into the : “Exceptionally high tides, known colloquially as king tides, along…”
A compound of king ‘something preeminent’ + tide
Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- ‘to produce’
…
Proto-Germanic *kuningaz
Proto-West Germanic *kuning
Old English cening
Middle English king ‘king’
English king
Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- ‘to share, divide’
…
Proto-Germanic *tīdiz ‘time’
Proto-West Germanic *tīdi ‘time’
Old English tīd ‘time in general’
Middle English tyde ‘a time (period), season’
English tide
Every English word from English king
Today it means
noun An unusually high spring tide that occurs during full moon in the summer and winter months (when the earth is at perihelion and the earth, moon and sun are aligned).
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English king / king tide