Where does “cuckold” come from?
Cuckold comes from Middle English cokewold, from Old French cucuault, a term of contempt for a man whose wife is unfaithful.
cuckold (English): A man married to an unfaithful wife, especially...
Definitions
- A man married to an unfaithful wife, especially...
Ancestry of “cuckold”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | cokolde | — |
| 2 | Old French | cucuault | a cuckold |
| 3 | Frankish | -wald | — |
| 4 | Frankish | wald | power, mastery, dominion; reigning; ruling |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | waldaz | leader |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | waldaną | to rule |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | waldʰ- | to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess |
Words derived from “cuckold”