Where does “kanker” come from?

kanker (Malay) comes from English canker, from Middle English canker, from Old English cancer, from Latin cancer, from Proto-Italic kankros, from Proto-Italic karkros, from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-kr̥-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- — to cut, cut off, sever.

kanker (Malay): canker, plant disease marked by gradual decay

Definitions

  1. canker, plant disease marked by gradual decay

Ancestry of “kanker”, step by step

kanker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English canker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcankerA plant disease marked by gradual decay; A region...
2Middle Englishcanker
3Old Englishcancercancer; crab
4Latincancera crab; a tumor, cancer; a lattice, grid, or...
5Proto-Italickankroscrab
6Proto-Italickarkrosenclosure, barrier
7Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-kr̥-circular
8Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
9Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

via Indonesian kanker

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Indonesiankankercancer
2Dutchkankercancer; Something incredibly bad, poor or...
3Middle Dutchcanker
4New Latincancer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek-Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-Every word from Proto-Indo-European kr̥-kr̥-
kanker — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer