Origin of word car

[bollinger]

Where didi the word car come from?

[Moonhead]

Its short for carriage, as in horse and carriage. So motorized carriages became motor cars, and then just cars.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, 'car' is older than 'carriage'! Spelt originally as 'carre' - and coming from the Late Latin word 'carra' - it first appeared in English in the 1300s. Carriage - spelt 'caryage' and coming from French - did not appear here until the 1500s. (The former, therefore, is not an abbreviation of the latter. Sorry, Moon!)

[Moonhead]

That's absolutely fine QM :o) Sorry for my mistake bollinger, I'd always believed that to be the truth - but QM is undoubtedly right as always. 10 *'s for QM. xxx

[Quizmonster]

Lovely lady!

[Canib]

In Wyclif's translation of 1382, he translates Isaiah 66:15 as "carres" which in 1611 (KJV) translates it as "chariots." It is the precursor to the word cart as well as carriage and chariot, according to the OED. QM is correct that it comes from late Latin: carra, a parallel form to carrus, carrum a kind of 2-wheeled wagon for transporting burdens.