Where does “Princeton” come from?
Princeton derives from English prince combined with Old French prince, Latin princeps meaning "first" or "chief," and Latin capio meaning "to take" or "to seize," referring to one who takes or holds the first position.
Ancestry of “Princeton”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ton | A unit of weight equal to 2240 pounds or 2000... |
| 2 | English | tun | A large cask; an oblong vessel bulging in the... |
| 3 | Middle English | tunne | cask; barrel |
| 4 | Old English | tunne | barrel, cask |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | tunnǭ | — |
| 6 | Latin | tunna | tun, box |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | tondā | skin; surface, skin |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | tend- | to stretch, to extend; to split, cut off |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | temh₂- | to stretch, string; to cut |