Where does “comedian” come from?
Comedian comes from English comedy, derived from Latin -ianus and Latin -ius suffixes applied to Ancient Greek κωμῳδία, from κῶμος meaning revel or festive procession.
comedian (English): An entertainer who performs in a humorous manner,...
Definitions
- An entertainer who performs in a humorous manner,...
Ancestry of “comedian”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | comédien | actor |
| 2 | French | comédie | comedy; acting, playacting |
| 3 | Old French | comedie | — |
| 4 | Latin | cōmoedia | a comedy (play) |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κωμῳδία | comedy; play |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κῶμος | festival, procession, revel, carousal; The band... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱómso- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱens- | to announce, to proclaim; to put in order |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱem- | to cover, conceal; hornless |