Where does “orc” come from?

orc (Old English) comes from Latin orcus, from Ancient Greek ὅρκος, from Proto-Indo-European serḱ- — to emend, make good, recompense.

orc (Old English): cup, tankard; demon; hell

Definitions

  1. cup, tankard; demon; hell

Ancestry of “orc”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinorcusunderworld; afterlife
2Ancient Greekὅρκοςthe object by which one swears, the witness of an...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanserḱ-to emend, make good, recompense
Every word from Proto-Indo-European serḱ- →Every word from Ancient Greek ὅρκος →Every word from Latin orcus →