Where does “царь” come from?
царь (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic цьсарь, from Old East Slavic цѣсарь, from Proto-Slavic cěsařь, from Proto-Germanic kaisaraz, from Latin Caesar, from Latin caesaries, from Proto-Indo-European kéysero- — hair.
царь (Russian): tsar, Russian emperor; king
Definitions
- tsar, Russian emperor; king
Ancestry of “царь”, step by step
царь traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Old East Slavic цьсарь
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | цьсарь | — |
| 2 | Old East Slavic | цѣсарь | emperor, king |
| 3 | Proto-Slavic | cěsařь | emperor, king |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kaisaraz | emperor |
| 5 | Latin | Caesar | Julius Caesar; emperor |
| 6 | Latin | caesaries | or hair |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kéysero- | hair |
via Gothic 𐌺𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gothic | 𐌺𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂 | Caesar, emperor |
via Church Slavonic цѣсарь
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Church Slavonic | цѣсарь | — |