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Tracing “”…
Where does the word "powder" come from? It comes from Latin pulvis, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "powder" come from? It comes from Latin pulvis, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Powder’s story begins in Latin: pulvis meant “dust.” The root of 'pulverize'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as poudre. Gunpowder arrived in Europe in the 1200s. It reached English by 1300s as powder. 'powder room' dates from the 1930s. Today, powder means fine dry particles.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient pulvis "dust", the root of 'pulverize'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval poudre "dust, powder", gunpowder arrived in Europe in the 1200s.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s powder "dust", 'powder room' dates from the 1930s.