cache

Where does the word "cache" come from? It comes from French cacher, and was adopted directly into English (1790s).

Cache’s story begins in French: cacher meant “to hide.” French Canadian fur trappers used 'cache' for hidden stores of supplies. It reached English by 1790s as cache. Settled as the word for a hidden store of goods, later a computing term. Today, cache means a hidden store of items, or a temporary storage area for quick data access.

1. Stage 1 · French · medieval cacher "to hide", French Canadian fur trappers used 'cache' for hidden stores of supplies.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1790s cache "a hidden store of goods, or fast temporary storage", settled as the word for a hidden store of goods, later a computing term.