Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Body of Christ” come from?

Body of Christ (English) comes from English Christ, from Middle English Crist, from Old English Crīst, from Latin Chrīstus, from Ancient Greek Χριστός, from Ancient Greek χρίω, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.

Ancestry of “Body of Christ”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishChristA figure or other artistic depiction of Jesus...
2Middle EnglishCrist—
3Old EnglishCrīst—
4LatinChrīstus—
5Ancient GreekΧριστόςanointed; messiah; annointed, the annointed one,...
6Ancient Greekχρίωto smear with , rub on something; to anoint with...
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →