Where does “canal” come from?

Canal comes from Middle French canal, from Old French canal, from Latin canalis meaning channel or watercourse, derived from Ancient Greek κάννα, ultimately from Akkadian and Sumerian origins.

canal (English): An artificial waterway or artificially improved...

Definitions

  1. An artificial waterway or artificially improved...

Ancestry of “canal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchcanal—
2Old Frenchcanal—
3Latincanālisa pipe, spout, channel, conduit
4LatincannaA reed, cane; Anything made of reed or cane;...
5Ancient Greekκάνναgiant reed; reed mat
6Akkadian𒄀reed; a certain unit of length
7Sumerian𒄀reed; a certain unit of length

Words derived from “canal”

Every word from Sumerian 𒄀 →