coffin

Where does the word "coffin" come from? It comes from Greek kophinos, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Coffin’s story begins in Greek: kophinos meant “basket.” Greek, a wicker basket. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as cofin. Also a pastry crust. It reached English by 1300s as coffin. The burial sense dates from the 1500s. Today, coffin means a box in which a dead body is buried.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kophinos "basket", Greek, a wicker basket.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval cofin "box, basket", also a pastry crust.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s coffin "box; pie crust", the burial sense dates from the 1500s.