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Where does the word "lamp" come from? It comes from Latin lampas, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "lamp" come from? It comes from Latin lampas, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Lamp’s story begins in Latin: lampas meant “torch.” From Greek 'lampein', to shine. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as lampe. Oil lamps lit medieval churches. It reached English by 1200s as lamp. Electric lamps came in the 1800s. Today, lamp means a device for giving light.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient lampas "torch", from Greek 'lampein', to shine.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval lampe "lamp", oil lamps lit medieval churches.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s lamp "a light source", electric lamps came in the 1800s.