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

embark traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bark

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbarkTo make a short, loud, explosive noise with the...
2Middle Englishbarkbark; The exterior layer of a nut or other fruit;...
3Old Englishbarcbark
4Old Norsebǫrkrbark
5Proto-Germanicbarkuzbark of a tree
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰerHǵósbirch

via Middle French embarquer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchembarquer—
2Middle Frenchen-—

Words derived from “embark”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerHǵós →
embark — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer