Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “embark” come from?

Embark comes from Middle French embarquer, formed from the prefix en- and barca (Italian for "boat"), which derives from βάρις (Ancient Greek for "boat"), ultimately from Egyptian bꜣjr.

embark (English): To get on a boat or ship or an aeroplane; To...

Definitions

  1. To get on a boat or ship or an aeroplane; To...

Ancestry of “embark”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishem-The form taken by en- before the labial...
2EnglishEn-—
3Middle Englishen-en-, in-
4Old Frenchen-en-
5Latinīn-—
6Latinîn—
7Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
8Proto-Italicenin
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “embark”

  • disembark
  • reembark
  • disembarkment
  • reimbark
  • embarkest
  • embarketh
  • embarker
  • embarkee
  • disembarkee
  • disembarker
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →