Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “coxswain” come from?

Coxswain comes from Middle English cokswain, from Middle English cok, from Old English cōc, from Latin coquus meaning cook.

coxswain (English): In a ship's boat, the helmsman given charge of...

Definitions

  1. In a ship's boat, the helmsman given charge of...

Ancestry of “coxswain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcokswaincockswain, helmsman
2Middle Englishcokrooster, cock; rooster crest, comb; heraldic...
3Old Englishcōca cook
4Vulgar Latincocus—
5LatincoquusA cook; person who makes food
6Latincoquō—
7EnglishCook—
8Germankochento cook, to prepare food; to boil; to be stirred...
9Middle High Germankochento cook
10Old High Germankohhōnto cook
11Proto-Germanickukōnąto cook
12Latincoqueresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
13Proto-Italickʷekʷōto cook
14Proto-Indo-Europeanpékʷetito be cooking; to ripen
15Proto-Indo-Europeanpekʷ-to cook; to ripen
16Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃-ép-kʷ-—

Words derived from “coxswain”

  • coax
  • cox
  • coaxer
  • coxless
  • coaxeth
  • coaxest
  • cox
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃-ép-kʷ- →