Where does “cornstarch” come from?
Cornstarch derives from English corn and starch, with corn coming from Middle English corn, Old French corne, and Latin cornu, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱerh₂- meaning to grow or project.
cornstarch (English): A very fine starch powder derived from corn used...
Definitions
- A very fine starch powder derived from corn used...
Ancestry of “cornstarch”, step by step
cornstarch traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English corn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | corn | The main cereal plant grown for its grain in a... |
| 2 | Middle English | corn | Any plant that bears grain, especially wheat; a... |
| 3 | Old English | corn | corn, a grain or seed; a cornlike pimple, a corn... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | korn | corn, grain, cereal |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | kurną | corn, grain, cereal |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nóm | grain |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵr̥h₂nós | matured, grown old |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵerh₂- | to grow old, to mature |
via English starch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | starch | A widely diffused vegetable substance found... |
| 2 | Middle English | starche | — |
| 3 | Middle English | sterch | stiff |
| 4 | Middle English | stark | — |
| 5 | Old English | stearc | severe, stern, harsh; stiff, rigid, not bending,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | stark | stiff, stark |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | starkaz | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)terg- | to be stiff; rigid; rigid, stiff |