Where does “comfort food” come from?

comfort food (English) comes from English comfort, from Middle English confort, from Old French confort, from Old French conforter, from Latin confortō, from Latin cōn-, from Latin cum, from Old Latin com — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

comfort food (English): Simple, home-cooked-style food associated with...

Definitions

  1. Simple, home-cooked-style food associated with...

Ancestry of “comfort food”, step by step

comfort food traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English comfort

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcomfortContentment, ease; Something that offers comfort;...
2Middle Englishconfort
3Old Frenchconfort
4Old Frenchconforterto reassure; to comfort
5Latinconfortōto make stronger, strengthen
6Latincōn-Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects
7Latincumwith, along with; at; -fold
8Old LatincomAlternative form of cum
9Proto-Italickomwith, along, at
10Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
11Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
12Middle Englishkyt
13Germankittputty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes
14Old High Germankuti
15Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
16Proto-Germanickweduzresin
17Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
18Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...

via English food

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfoodAny solid substance that can be consumed by...
2Middle Englishfodefood, nourishment; manna; holy nourishment
3Old Englishfōdafood
4Proto-Germanicfōdôfood, nourishment
5Proto-Indo-Europeanpat-to feed; path; to go
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū-Every word from Latin cōn-Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet-