horde

Where does the word "horde" come from? It comes from Turkic/Mongolian ordu, passing through Polish/Russian before entering English (1500s-1600s).

Horde’s story begins in Turkic/Mongolian: ordu meant “a camp, royal court.” Meaning "a camp" or "royal court", used by nomadic peoples. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Polish/Russian as horda. The Golden Horde ruled Russia from the 1240s; Mongol 'ordu', camp, gave the name. It reached English by 1500s-1600s as horde. Borrowed in the 1550s for Asian tent-dwelling nomads; the initial 'h' seems to have been added in Polish. Today, horde means a large, often disorganized group or crowd of people.

1. Stage 1 · Turkic/Mongolian · medieval ordu "a camp, royal court", meaning "a camp" or "royal court", used by nomadic peoples.
2. Stage 2 · Polish/Russian · medieval horda "a large group or army", the Golden Horde ruled Russia from the 1240s; Mongol 'ordu', camp, gave the name.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s-1600s horde "a large, often disorganized group of people", borrowed in the 1550s for Asian tent-dwelling nomads; the initial 'h' seems to have been added in Polish.