Etymology Explorer › English

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

  1. An outdoor place acting as temporary...

Ancestry of “camp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishkampeAn armed military conflict; a clash; A...
2Old Englishcampcombat; an enclosed piece of land
3Proto-West Germanickampfield; battle
4LatincampusOpen flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;...
5Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂emp-to bend; crooked; to bend, curve
6Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂em-to bend, to curve

Words derived from “camp”

  • camping
  • encampment
  • campfire
  • campsite
  • campground
  • camper
  • encamp
  • campy
  • campout
  • campstool
  • subcamp
  • campervan
  • minicamp
  • campiness
  • campward
  • cample
  • campcraft
  • campness
  • campwards
  • workcamp
  • campily
  • campmate
  • camplike
  • intercamp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- →