Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “craft” come from?

craft (Middle English) comes from Old English cræft, from Proto-West Germanic kraftu, from Proto-Germanic kraftuz, from Proto-Germanic -þuz, from Proto-Indo-European -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.

Ancestry of “craft”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcræftstrength, power; skill; art
2Proto-West Germanickraftustrength, power; skill
3Proto-Germanickraftuzstrength, power
4Proto-Germanic-þuzForms result nouns from verb roots, usually from...
5Proto-Indo-European-tusDerives action nouns from verb roots

Words derived from “craft”

  • aircraft
  • craft
  • crafts
  • spacecraft
  • craftsman
  • craftsmanship
  • watercraft
  • tradecraft
  • craftsperson
  • craftwork
  • shuttlecraft
  • crafter
  • rotorcraft
  • sailcraft
  • craftmanship
  • craftswoman
  • craftsmanlike
  • spellcraft
  • fieldcraft
  • soulcraft
  • aerocraft
  • seacraft
  • recraft
  • smithcraft
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -tus →