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Where does the word "cellar" come from? It comes from Latin cellarium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "cellar" come from? It comes from Latin cellarium, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Cellar’s story begins in Latin: cellarium meant “storeroom.” From 'cella', small room. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as celier. Food and wine were stored there. It reached English by 1200s as cellar. 'wine cellar' dates from the 1500s. Today, cellar means an underground room for storage.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient cellarium "storeroom", from 'cella', small room.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval celier "storeroom", food and wine were stored there.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s cellar "storeroom", 'wine cellar' dates from the 1500s.