Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fruitcake” come from?

fruitcake (English) comes from English fruit, from French fruit, from Middle French fruict, from Old French fruit, from Latin frūctus, from Ancient Greek δῶρον, from Proto-Hellenic dṓron, from Proto-Indo-European déh₃rom — to give.

fruitcake (English): A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally,...

Definitions

  1. A cake containing dried fruits and, optionally,...

Ancestry of “fruitcake”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfruitIn general, a product of plant growth useful to...
2Frenchfruitfruit
3Middle Frenchfruictfruit
4Old Frenchfruitfruit
5Latinfrūctus—
6Ancient Greekδῶρονgift; hand's width
7Proto-Hellenicdṓrongift
8Proto-Indo-Europeandéh₃romgift
9Proto-Indo-Europeandeh₃-to give

Words derived from “fruitcake”

  • desert fruit cake
  • fruit cake
  • フルーツケーキ
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deh₃- →