Where does “campfire” come from?
Campfire comes from English camp and fire, with camp deriving from Middle English kampe, Old English camp, Proto-Germanic *kampaz, and Latin campus meaning open field.
campfire (English): A fire at a campground or on a camping trip,...
Definitions
- A fire at a campground or on a camping trip,...
Ancestry of “campfire”, step by step
campfire traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English fire
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fire | A chemical reaction involving the bonding of... |
| 2 | Middle English | fier | Alternative form of figer |
| 3 | Old English | fȳr | fire |
| 4 | Old English | feor | Alternative form of feorr; far |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English camp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | camp | An outdoor place acting as temporary... |
| 2 | Middle English | kampe | An armed military conflict; a clash; A... |
| 3 | Old English | camp | combat; an enclosed piece of land |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kamp | field; battle |
| 5 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |