Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Charlie” come from?

Charlie, a diminutive of Charles, derives from Old French Charles, from Latin Carolus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- meaning to grow or age.

Charlie (English): An enemy; the Vietcong; "short for Victor...

Definitions

  1. An enemy; the Vietcong; "short for Victor...

Ancestry of “Charlie”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1CebuanoCharles—
2EnglishCharles—
3FrenchCharlesCharles
4Old FrenchCharles—
5LatinCarolusCharles
6Middle High GermanKarl—
7Old High Germankarlman
8Proto-Germanickarilazfree man, franklin; little man, young man
9Proto-Germanickaraz—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “Charlie”

  • Charli
  • Charlee
  • Charleigh
  • CharlieCard
  • чарли
  • 查理
  • Charlie
  • Charlie
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →