Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chip” come from?

Chip comes from Middle English chip, from Old English ċipp, from Old English ċippian, from Latin cippus, from Proto-Indo-European ǵey-.

chip (English): A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid...

Definitions

  1. A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid...

Ancestry of “chip”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishchipfragment, worthless thing; chip, shard, fragment
2Old Englishċippchip; small piece of wood; chip, splinter,...
3Old Englishċippianto cut; hew
4Proto-Germanickipp-to chop; split; to cut; carve; hack; chop
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵey-to split; divide; germinate; sprout; to split;...

Words derived from “chip”

  • chips
  • chipping
  • microchip
  • chipset
  • kibble
  • chipboard
  • biochip
  • chippy
  • woodchip
  • multichip
  • chippie
  • neurochip
  • woodchipping
  • chipmaker
  • nanochip
  • chipcard
  • chipless
  • chippiness
  • genechip
  • chipmaking
  • woodchipped
  • chipyard
  • antichip
  • chippable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵey- →