Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trophy” come from?

Trophy derives from Middle French trophée, from Latin trophaeum, from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον, ultimately from the root τρέπω meaning to turn or rout, with the -eh₂ suffix forming the agent noun.

trophy (English): An object, usually in the form of a statuette,...

Definitions

  1. An object, usually in the form of a statuette,...

Ancestry of “trophy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtrophéememorial
2Latintrophaeumtrophy, monument to victory in war; a sign of...
3Ancient Greekτρόπαιονtrophy, a monument to an enemy's defeat
4Ancient Greekτροπήa turning; turning away the enemy, a rout;...
5Ancient Greek-ή—
6Ancient Greek-ᾱnominal suffix
7Proto-Indo-European-éh₂—

Words derived from “trophy”

  • trophied
  • trophyless
  • trophylike
  • betrophied
  • トロフィー
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂ →