Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shazam” come from?

shazam (English) comes from English Mercury, from Middle English Mercurie, from Latin Mercurius, from Latin merx, from Proto-Italic *merks.

shazam (English): Alternative spelling of shazaam

Definitions

  1. Alternative spelling of shazaam

Ancestry of “shazam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMercuryA carrier of tidings; a newsboy, a messenger;...
2Middle EnglishMercurie—
3LatinMercuriusMercury; a Roman god associated with speed and...
4Latinmerxmerchandise, commodity; goods, wares
5Proto-Italic*merks—
Every word from Proto-Italic *merks →