Where does “camp” come from?
Camp comes from Middle English kampe, from Old English camp, from Proto-West Germanic kamp, from Latin campus meaning "field," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em-.
camp (English): An outdoor place acting as temporary...
Definitions
- An outdoor place acting as temporary...
Ancestry of “camp”, step by step
camp traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English kampe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | kampe | An armed military conflict; a clash; A... |
| 2 | Old English | camp | combat; an enclosed piece of land |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | kamp | field; battle |
| 4 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |
via Spanish Campo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Campo | countryside, country |
| 2 | Old Spanish | campo | field, open plain |
via Old French camp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | camp | camp; Alternative form of champ |