Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “clerc” come from?

clerc (Middle English) comes from Old English clerc, from Latin clēricus, from Ancient Greek κληρικός, from Ancient Greek -ικός, from Ancient Greek -κός, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

clerc (Middle English): a clergyman, usually in Christianity

Definitions

  1. a clergyman, usually in Christianity

Ancestry of “clerc”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishclercclergyman, clerk
2Latinclēricus—
3Ancient Greekκληρικόςof or pertaining to clergy; clerical; clergyman
4Ancient Greek-ικόςof or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic
5Ancient Greek-κόςforms adjectives with the sense of 'of or...
6Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “clerc”

  • clerk
  • Clarkson
  • clerkship
  • clerkly
  • salesclerk
  • clerkish
  • clerklike
  • clerky
  • clerkdom
  • clerkliness
  • clerkess
  • clerkling
  • clerkless
  • clerkishly
  • clerks
  • kalaliki
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →