Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “crisme” come from?

crisme (Middle English) comes from Old English crisma, from Medieval Latin crisma, from Ecclesiastical Latin chrisma, from Ancient Greek χρῖσμα, from Ancient Greek χρίω, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrēy-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.

Ancestry of “crisme”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishcrisma—
2Medieval Latincrisma—
3Ecclesiastical Latinchrisma—
4Ancient Greekχρῖσμαanointing, unction; wall coating, plaster
5Ancient Greekχρίωto smear with , rub on something; to anoint with...
6Proto-Indo-Europeangʰrēy-to smear; to paint, streak, smear
7Proto-Indo-Europeangʰer-to rub; to stroke; to grind
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- →