Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Rock” come from?

Rock (English) comes from English rock and roll, from English and, from Middle English an, from Old English ond, from Old English and, from Proto-Germanic andi, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énti, from Proto-Indo-European h₂énts — on, onto.

Ancestry of “Rock”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishrock and rollA genre of popular music that evolved in the...
2EnglishandAs a coordinating conjunction; expressing two...
3Middle EnglishanAlternative form of in; Alternative form of and;...
4Old Englishondand
5Old Englishandand; even; also
6Proto-Germanicandiin addition, furthermore, and
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntiopposite; near; in front
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂éntsforehead; front
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ent-face; forehead; front
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

Words derived from “Rock”

  • Rockite
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →