Etymology Explorer › Spanish

Where does “cárcel” come from?

cárcel (Spanish) comes from Old Spanish carcel, from Latin carcer, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- — dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth.

cárcel (Spanish): prison

Definitions

  1. prison

Ancestry of “cárcel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Spanishcarcelprison, jail
2Latincarcerprison, jail; jailbird; traps
3Proto-Indo-European(s)ḱer-dung, manure, filth; manure, dung, filth

Words derived from “cárcel”

  • carcelero
  • encarcelar
  • excarcelar
  • karsel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ḱer- →