Where does “rampant” come from?
Rampant comes from Middle English rampand, from Middle English rampen, from Old French ramper, from Frankish rampōn, from Frankish rampa, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots (s)ker- and sek-.
rampant (English): Rearing on both hind legs with the forelegs...
Definitions
- Rearing on both hind legs with the forelegs...
Ancestry of “rampant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rampand | — |
| 2 | Middle English | rampen | to rise by climbing, shoot up, sprout, sty,... |
| 3 | Old French | ramper | to climb; to ascend; to go up |
| 4 | Frankish | rampōn | — |
| 5 | Frankish | rampa | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hrempaną | to bend, curve, make waves, wrinkle; to curve,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kreb- | to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |