chassis

Where does the word "chassis" come from? It comes from Latin capsa, passing through French before entering English (1730s).

Chassis’s story begins in Latin: capsa meant “a box, a case.” A box, a case, the root behind a supporting frame. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as chassis. Carried into French for the supporting frame of a structure or vehicle. It reached English by 1730s as chassis. Settled as the English word for a vehicle's structural base frame. Today, chassis means the base frame of a vehicle or piece of equipment, supporting its structure.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient capsa "a box, a case", a box, a case, the root behind a supporting frame.
2. Stage 2 · French · 1700s chassis "a supporting frame", carried into French for the supporting frame of a structure or vehicle.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1730s chassis "the base frame of a vehicle or structure", settled as the English word for a vehicle's structural base frame.