Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “harpon” come from?

harpon (Old French) comes from Old French harpe, from Latin harpa, from Frankish harpā, from Proto-Germanic harpǭ, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kreb-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “harpon”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchharpeharp
2Latinharpaharp
3Frankishharpāharp
4Proto-Germanicharpǭharp
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kreb-to turn; to touch; to turn, bend, shrink, rotate,...
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
7Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “harpon”

  • harpoon
  • harpooner
  • harpooneer
  • arpón
  • arponero
  • arpone
  • arponare
  • harponner
  • harponneur
  • harpon
  • Harpune
  • arpão
  • harppuunatykki
  • harppuuna
  • harppuunapyssy
  • harpuno
  • harpoenier
  • harpoen
  • harpun
  • harpun
  • harpun
  • harpun
  • arpón
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →