Where does “chive” come from?

chive (English) comes from Middle English cyve, from Old French civé, from Latin cēpa — onion.

chive (English): A perennial plant, "Allium schoenoprasum",...

Definitions

  1. A perennial plant, "Allium schoenoprasum",...

Ancestry of “chive”, step by step

chive traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English cyve

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcyvechive; Alternative form of sive
2Old Frenchcivéchive
3Latincēpaonion

via Romani chive

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romanichive—

Words derived from “chive”

Every word from Latin cēpa →Every word from Old French civé →Every word from Middle English cyve →