Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cologne” come from?

Cologne comes from French Cologne, from French de and Latin de, combined with Latin aqua meaning water, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂ekʷeh₂ and kʷel-.

cologne (English): A type of perfume consisting of 2-5% essential...

Definitions

  1. A type of perfume consisting of 2-5% essential...

Ancestry of “cologne”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchCologne—
2Old FrenchCologne—
3Latincolōnia—
4Latincolōnus—
5Latincolō—
6Latinquelō—
7Proto-Italickʷelō—
8Proto-Indo-Europeankʷéleti—
9Proto-Indo-Europeankʷel-to turn

Words derived from “cologne”

  • cologned
  • โคโลญจ์
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- →