Where does “carnal” come from?

Carnal derives from Latin carnalis, formed from Latin carō meaning flesh and the suffix Latin -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut.

carnal (English): Relating to the physical and especially sexual...

Definitions

  1. Relating to the physical and especially sexual...

Ancestry of “carnal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincarnalisfleshly; carnal
2Latincaroflesh, meat; pulp of a fruit; body
3Proto-Italickarōpiece, portion; meat
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
6Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army

Words derived from “carnal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kr̥- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱer- →