Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cord” come from?

Cord comes from Old French corde, from Latin chorda meaning "string" or "gut," from Ancient Greek χορδή, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer-.

cord (English): A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns ...

Definitions

  1. A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns ...

Ancestry of “cord”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishcordeA long, thick length of fibre; One of the strings...
2Old Frenchcorderope
3Latinchordacord, string; tripe, intestine; catgut
4Ancient Greekχορδήguts, intestines; string made of gut; string,...
5Proto-Indo-European*ǵʰerH-—

Words derived from “cord”

  • chord
  • cords
  • corduroy
  • cordless
  • corded
  • cording
  • notochord
  • chordal
  • cordite
  • cordwood
  • whipcord
  • tetrachord
  • hexachord
  • cordgrass
  • ripcord
  • notochordal
  • pentachord
  • trichord
  • cordocentesis
  • cordotomy
  • cordlike
  • prechordal
  • hexachordal
  • cordectomy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerH- →