Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "carton" come from? It comes from Latin charta, passing through French before entering English (1780s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "carton" come from? It comes from Latin charta, passing through French before entering English (1780s).
Carton’s story begins in Latin: charta meant “paper.” From Greek 'khartēs', papyrus. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as carton. Came via Italian 'cartone', thick paper. It reached English by 1780s as carton. Milk 'cartons' date from the 1900s. Today, carton means a light box made of cardboard.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient charta "paper", from Greek 'khartēs', papyrus.
- Stage 2 · French · 1700s carton "pasteboard", came via Italian 'cartone', thick paper.
- Stage 3 · English · 1780s carton "pasteboard", milk 'cartons' date from the 1900s.