coach

Where does the word "coach" come from? It comes from Hungarian kocsi, passing through German and French before entering English (1500s).

Coach’s story begins in Hungarian: kocsi meant “a wagon from Kocs.” Literally "of Kocs", the village where the vehicle was built. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in German as Kutsche. The design spread across Central Europe. From there it passed into French as coche by 1500s. Adopted for the fashionable new carriages. It reached English by 1500s as coach. Later extended metaphorically to a personal trainer or tutor. Today, coach means a person who trains and instructs others, or a large road or rail vehicle.

1. Stage 1 · Hungarian · 1400s kocsi "a wagon from Kocs", literally "of Kocs", the village where the vehicle was built.
2. Stage 2 · German · 1500s Kutsche "a horse-drawn carriage", the design spread across Central Europe.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1500s coche "a large carriage", adopted for the fashionable new carriages.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1500s coach "a carriage; later, a trainer", later extended metaphorically to a personal trainer or tutor.