envelope

Where does the word "envelope" come from? It comes from Old French envelopper, passing through French before entering English (1700s).

Envelope’s story begins in Old French: envelopper meant “to wrap, enclose.” Meaning "to wrap up" or "enclose". By 1600s, the word had taken hold in French as enveloppe. The noun form for a wrapping or covering. It reached English by 1700s as envelope. Adopted for the paper wrapping used for letters. Today, envelope means a flat paper container used to enclose a letter or document.

1. Stage 1 · Old French · medieval envelopper "to wrap, enclose", meaning "to wrap up" or "enclose".
2. Stage 2 · French · 1600s enveloppe "a wrapping, covering", the noun form for a wrapping or covering.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s envelope "a paper covering for a letter", adopted for the paper wrapping used for letters.