Etymology Map
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Salmon

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a large pink-fleshed fish that swims upriver to spawn

Where does the word "salmon" come from? It comes from Latin salmo, passing through Anglo-French before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
salmo
Latin · ancient
"salmon"
possibly from 'salire', to leap, after the fish leaping upstream
2
Stage 2 of 3
saumon
Anglo-French · medieval
"salmon"
pronounced without the 'l', which English still leaves silent
3
Stage 3 of 3
salmon
English · 1500s
"salmon"
Renaissance scholars put the 'l' back into the spelling to match Latin
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Read the full story

Salmon’s story begins in Latin: salmo meant “salmon.” Possibly from 'salire', to leap, after the fish leaping upstream. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Anglo-French as saumon. Pronounced without the 'l', which English still leaves silent. It reached English by 1500s as salmon. Renaissance scholars put the 'l' back into the spelling to match Latin. Today, salmon means a large pink-fleshed fish that swims upriver to spawn.