Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chamberlain” come from?

Chamberlain comes from Middle English chamberlein, from Old French chamberlenc, from Frankish kamarling, from Latin camera, from Ancient Greek καμάρα, meaning a vaulted room or chamber.

chamberlain (English): An officer in charge of managing the household of...

Definitions

  1. An officer in charge of managing the household of...

Ancestry of “chamberlain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchamberlein—
2Anglo-NormanchamberlencAlternative form of chamberlein; chamberlain
3Frankishkamarlingchamberlain
4Proto-Germanickamarlingaz—
5LatincameraA chamber in its various senses, "including";...
6Ancient GreekκαμάραAnything with an arched cover such as a covered...
7Proto-Iraniankamarā-something curved
8Proto-Iraniankamárati—
9Proto-Indo-Iranian*kmárati—
10Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂em-to bend, to curve

Words derived from “chamberlain”

  • chamberlainship
  • archchamberlain
  • underchamberlain
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- →