Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “truncheon” come from?

Truncheon comes from Middle English tronchoun, from Old French tronchon, from Late Latin troncionem, from Latin truncus meaning "cut off" or "maimed," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European twerḱ-.

truncheon (English): A fragment or piece broken off from something,...

Definitions

  1. A fragment or piece broken off from something,...

Ancestry of “truncheon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishtronchounA fragment of something, especially a spear or...
2Old Frenchtronchonbaton; truncheon
3Late Latintroncionem—
4Latintruncuslopped, docked; maimed, mangled, mutilated; A...
5Proto-Indo-Europeantwerḱ-to carve, cut off, trim

Words derived from “truncheon”

  • truncheoneer
  • truncheoner
Every word from Proto-Indo-European twerḱ- →