Where does “college” come from?
College comes from Old French college, from Latin collegium, a body of colleagues united by shared duties, ultimately from Latin com- and legere meaning to gather or choose together.
college (English): A corporate group; a group of colleagues; A group...
Definitions
- A corporate group; a group of colleagues; A group...
Ancestry of “college”, step by step
college traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English college
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | college | A grouping of clergy; A grouping of teachers and... |
| 2 | Middle French | college | An institution or organization an organised establishment of people |
| 3 | Old French | collége | institution; organization an organised establishment of people |
| 4 | Latin | collēgium | colleagueship, connection of associates, colleagues, etc |
| 5 | Latin | collēga | a partner (in office), colleague |
| 6 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 7 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 19 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via Old French college
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | college | institution; organization |
| 2 | Latin | collegium | colleagueship; guild, corporation, company,... |
| 3 | Latin | collega | a partner (in office), colleague |
| 4 | Latin | legare | second-person singular present passive... |
| 5 | Latin | lego | I choose, select, appoint; I collect, gather,... |
| 6 | Latin | lex | a proposition or motion for a law made to the... |