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Where does the word "razor" come from? It comes from Latin radere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "razor" come from? It comes from Latin radere, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Razor’s story begins in Latin: radere meant “to scrape.” The root of 'erase'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as rasor. From 'raser', to shave. It reached English by 1300s as razor. 'razor-sharp' dates from the 1800s. Today, razor means a sharp instrument for shaving.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient radere "to scrape", the root of 'erase'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval rasor "razor", from 'raser', to shave.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s razor "shaving blade", 'razor-sharp' dates from the 1800s.