crater

Where does the word "crater" come from? It comes from Greek kratēr, passing through Latin before entering English (1610s).

Crater’s story begins in Greek: kratēr meant “mixing bowl.” A large bowl for mixing wine with water at a feast. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as crātēr. Roman writers extended it to a volcano's mouth, as of Etna and Vesuvius. It reached English by 1610s as crater. Later applied to hollows made by meteorites and shells, and to the moon's craters, which Galileo's telescope first revealed in 1609. Today, crater means a bowl-shaped hollow, especially at the mouth of a volcano.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kratēr "mixing bowl", a large bowl for mixing wine with water at a feast.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient crātēr "bowl; volcano mouth", Roman writers extended it to a volcano's mouth, as of Etna and Vesuvius.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1610s crater "volcanic bowl; hollow", later applied to hollows made by meteorites and shells, and to the moon's craters, which Galileo's telescope first revealed in 1609.