Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "ceremony" come from? It comes from Latin caerimonia, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "ceremony" come from? It comes from Latin caerimonia, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Ceremony’s story begins in Latin: caerimonia meant “sacred rite.” Possibly Etruscan. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as ceremonie. Roman 'caerimonia' covered sacred rites of state religion. It reached English by 1300s as ceremony. 'stand on ceremony' dates from the 1600s. Today, ceremony means a formal religious or public occasion.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient caerimonia "sacred rite", possibly Etruscan.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval ceremonie "ceremony", Roman 'caerimonia' covered sacred rites of state religion.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s ceremony "rite", 'stand on ceremony' dates from the 1600s.