Where does “cabin” come from?

Cabin comes from Middle English caban, from Old French cabane, from Medieval Latin capanna, a word for a hut or simple dwelling.

cabin (English): A small dwelling characteristic of the frontier,...

Definitions

  1. A small dwelling characteristic of the frontier,...

Ancestry of “cabin”, step by step

cabin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English caban

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcaban
2Old Frenchcabane
3Occitancabanacabin, hut
4Late Latincapannahut

via French cabane

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcabanecabin, hut, shack; shed; prison; workshop

Words derived from “cabin

Every word from Late Latin capanna