cinderella

Where does the word "cinderella" come from? It comes from Latin cinis, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1729).

Cinderella’s story begins in Latin: cinis meant “ashes.” Ashes, the root of 'cinder' and 'incinerate'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as cendre. Ashes. From there it passed into French as Cendrillon by 1697. Charles Perrault published 'Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre' in Paris in 1697. It reached English by 1729 as Cinderella. Robert Samber's English translation of Perrault's tales gave 'Cinderella; or, the Little Glass Slipper'. Today, cinderella means a person whose merits go unrecognized; the fairy-tale heroine.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient cinis "ashes", ashes, the root of 'cinder' and 'incinerate'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval cendre "ashes", ashes.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1697 Cendrillon "little ash girl", Charles Perrault published 'Cendrillon ou la petite pantoufle de verre' in Paris in 1697.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1729 Cinderella "Cinderella", Robert Samber's English translation of Perrault's tales gave 'Cinderella; or, the Little Glass Slipper'.