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Where does the word "cable" come from? It comes from Late Latin capulum, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "cable" come from? It comes from Late Latin capulum, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Cable’s story begins in Late Latin: capulum meant “rope, halter.” From 'capere', to take. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as chable. Norman form 'cable' kept the hard c. It reached English by 1200s as cable. Telegraph cables date from the 1850s; cable TV from the 1960s. Today, cable means a thick rope or wire; an insulated wire.
- Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient capulum "rope, halter", from 'capere', to take.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval chable "rope", Norman form 'cable' kept the hard c.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s cable "strong rope", telegraph cables date from the 1850s; cable TV from the 1960s.