Etymology Map
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Table

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means a piece of furniture with a flat top on legs; an arrangement of data in rows and columns

Where does the word "table" come from? It comes from Latin tabula, passing through Old French before entering English (1100s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
tabula
Latin · ancient
"board, plank"
a flat board or writing tablet, the same root as 'tablet' and 'tabulate'
2
Stage 2 of 3
table
Old French · medieval
"dining board"
applied to boards set on trestles for meals
3
Stage 3 of 3
table
English · 1100s
"a flat-topped piece of furniture"
replaced Old English 'bord', which survives in 'room and board'
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Read the full story

Table’s story begins in Latin: tabula meant “board, plank.” A flat board or writing tablet, the same root as 'tablet' and 'tabulate'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as table. Applied to boards set on trestles for meals. It reached English by 1100s as table. Replaced Old English 'bord', which survives in 'room and board'. Today, table means a piece of furniture with a flat top on legs; an arrangement of data in rows and columns.