Etymology Explorer › Old Church Slavonic

Where does “царь” come from?

царь (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Proto-Slavic cěsařь, from Proto-Germanic kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar, from Latin caesaries, from Proto-Indo-European kéysero- — hair.

царь (Old Church Slavonic): emperor; tsar

Definitions

  1. emperor; tsar

Ancestry of “царь”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slaviccěsařьemperor, king
2Proto-Germanickaisarazemperor
3LatinCaesarJulius Caesar; emperor
4Latincaesariesor hair
5Proto-Indo-Europeankéysero-hair
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kéysero- →