Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “caractere” come from?

caractere (Old French) comes from Latin character, from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ, from Ancient Greek χαράσσω, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- — to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines.

caractere (Old French): mark; sign; indication

Definitions

  1. mark; sign; indication

Ancestry of “caractere”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincharacterbranding iron; brand; characteristic, mark,...
2Ancient Greekχαρακτήρinstrument used for engraving; person who...
3Ancient Greekχαράσσωto sharpen; to engrave, carve, write, draw, stamp
4Proto-Indo-Europeanǵʰer-to yearn for; to enclose; bowels, intestines

Words derived from “caractere”

  • character
  • characters
  • characterise
  • characterisation
  • characterless
  • characterological
  • characterful
  • metacharacter
  • characterology
  • characterologically
  • noncharacter
  • multicharacter
  • characterlessness
  • recharacterisation
  • intercharacter
  • characterhood
  • mischaracterisation
  • characterologist
  • characterwise
  • pseudocharacter
  • subcharacter
  • characterlike
  • characterism
  • biocharacter
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- →