Where does “cocktail” come from?
cocktail (English) comes from English cock, from Middle English cok, from Old English cōc, from Vulgar Latin cocus, from Latin coquus, from Latin coquō, from English Cook, from German kochen.
cocktail (English): A mixed alcoholic beverage; A mixture of other...
Definitions
- A mixed alcoholic beverage; A mixture of other...
Ancestry of “cocktail”, step by step
cocktail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cock
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cock | A male bird, "especially:"; A valve or tap for... |
| 2 | Middle English | cok | rooster, cock; rooster crest, comb; heraldic... |
| 3 | Old English | cōc | a cook |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | cocus | — |
| 5 | Latin | coquus | A cook; person who makes food |
| 6 | Latin | coquō | to cook; prepare food |
| 7 | English | Cook | A placename |
| 8 | German | kochen | to cook, to prepare food; to boil; to be stirred... |
| 9 | Middle High German | kochen | to cook |
| 10 | Old High German | kohhōn | to cook |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | kukōną | to cook |
| 12 | Latin | coquere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | kʷekʷō | to cook |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | pékʷeti | to be cooking; to ripen |
| 15 | Proto-Indo-European | pekʷ- | to cook; to ripen |
| 16 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃-ép-kʷ- | — |
via English Tail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Tail | A Chinese constellation coinciding with the tail of Scorpius, one of the 28 lunar mansions and the tail of Azure Dragon |
| 2 | Middle English | tayl | A tail; The back side or reverse of a creature; A... |
| 3 | Old English | tæġl | tail |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | taglą | hair; ponytail; hair of a tail; tail |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | doḱ- | hair of the tail |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |