Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “camp” come from?

camp (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic kamp, from Latin campus, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂emp-, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- — to bend, to curve.

camp (Old English): combat; an enclosed piece of land

Definitions

  1. combat; an enclosed piece of land

Ancestry of “camp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanickampfield; battle
2LatincampusOpen flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂emp-to bend; crooked; to bend, curve
4Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂em-to bend, to curve

Words derived from “camp”

  • camp
  • camping
  • encampment
  • campfire
  • campsite
  • campground
  • camper
  • encamp
  • campy
  • campout
  • campstool
  • subcamp
  • campervan
  • minicamp
  • campiness
  • campward
  • cample
  • campcraft
  • campness
  • campwards
  • workcamp
  • campily
  • campmate
  • camplike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kh₂em- →