Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cup” come from?

Cup comes from Middle English coppe, from Old English coppe, from Proto-Germanic kuppaz, from Late Latin cuppa, ultimately traced through Proto-Indo-European roots including keh₂p-, keu-, keup-, and gū-.

cup (English): A concave vessel for drinking from, usually made...

Definitions

  1. A concave vessel for drinking from, usually made...

Ancestry of “cup”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishcoppe—
2Old Englishcoppe—
3Old Englishcoppcup; vessel; top; summit
4Proto-West Germanic*kopp—
5Proto-Germanickuppazround object; orb; vessel; container; bowl;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangup-round object, knoll
7Proto-Indo-Europeangew-to bend, curve, arch, buckle; to bend, to curve;...

Words derived from “cup”

  • cups
  • teacup
  • buttercup
  • cupcake
  • cupbearer
  • teacupful
  • cuplike
  • cupule
  • winecup
  • eggcup
  • cupper
  • eyecup
  • kingcup
  • cuppy
  • cupular
  • cupholder
  • breakfastcupful
  • cupulate
  • goldcup
  • skullcup
  • cupuliform
  • breakfastcup
  • cupless
  • cupwise
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gew- →