Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dragon” come from?

Dragon comes from Old French dragon, from Latin draco, from Ancient Greek δράκων, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root derḱ- meaning to see or look.

dragon (English): A legendary serpentine or reptilian creature; An...

Definitions

  1. A legendary serpentine or reptilian creature; An...

Ancestry of “dragon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdrag queenA person, usually male, who dresses up in women's...
2EnglishQueen—
3Middle EnglishqueneA queen; Any powerful woman noble; A female...
4Old Englishcwenea woman; inflection of cwēn: ##...
5Old Englishcwēnqueen; woman, wife, queen
6Proto-West Germanickwāniwoman, wife
7Proto-Germanickwēnizwife
8Proto-Indo-Europeangʷḗnwoman
9Proto-Indo-Europeangʷen-woman

Words derived from “dragon”

  • dragonfly
  • snapdragon
  • dragonhead
  • dragonlike
  • dragonish
  • dragoness
  • dragonet
  • dragonkind
  • dragonfish
  • dragonslayer
  • dragonette
  • dragonesque
  • dragonology
  • dragonling
  • dragonwort
  • dragonlord
  • dragonking
  • dragonskin
  • dragonroot
  • firedragon
  • dragonhide
  • dragonlore
  • dragonbone
  • dragonless
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷen- →