Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vernacular” come from?

Vernacular comes from Latin vernaculus, formed from Latin verna with the diminutive suffix -culus, ultimately from the diminutive suffix -lus.

vernacular (English): The language of a people or a national language;...

Definitions

  1. The language of a people or a national language;...

Ancestry of “vernacular”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvernāculus—
2Latin-culusAlternative form of -ulus; added to a noun to...
3Proto-Italic*-kelos—

Words derived from “vernacular”

  • vernacularization
  • vernacularly
  • vernacularism
  • vernacularize
  • nonvernacular
Every word from Proto-Italic *-kelos →