Where does “champion” come from?
Champion comes from Middle English champioun, from Old French champion, from Latin campionem (a fighter in a camp or field), ultimately from Latin campus meaning field.
champion (English): An ongoing winner in a game or contest; Someone...
Definitions
- An ongoing winner in a game or contest; Someone...
Ancestry of “champion”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | champioun | A sportsperson who utilises brute strength; a... |
| 2 | Old French | champiun | fighter, champion |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | campio | combatant in a duel, champion; champion |
| 4 | Frankish | kampijō | fighter; combat soldier |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kampijô | — |
| 6 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |