Where does “orc” come from?

orc (English) comes from Italian Orco, from Latin orcus, from Ancient Greek ὅρκος, from Proto-Indo-European serḱ- — to emend, make good, recompense.

orc (English): Any of several large, ferocious sea creatures,...

Definitions

  1. Any of several large, ferocious sea creatures,...

Ancestry of “orc”, step by step

orc traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian Orco

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1ItalianOrcoOrcus
2Latinorcusunderworld; afterlife
3Ancient Greekὅρκοςthe object by which one swears, the witness of an...
4Proto-Indo-Europeanserḱ-to emend, make good, recompense

via Middle French orque

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchorque—
2Latinorcaorc, orca; butt, tun
3Ancient GreekὕρχηA jar for pickles or for wine

Words derived from “orc”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European serḱ- →Every word from Ancient Greek ὅρκος →Every word from Latin orcus →