terracotta

Where does the word "terracotta" come from? It comes from Latin terra + cocta, passing through Italian before entering English (1722).

Terracotta’s story begins in Latin: terra + cocta meant “baked earth.” 'earth' and the past participle of coquere 'to cook' combined. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as terra cotta. Kept the compound sense for fired, unglazed clay. It reached English by 1722 as terracotta. Borrowed for the hard, brownish-red earthenware and its color. Today, terracotta means a hard, unglazed, brownish-red earthenware, or its color.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient terra + cocta "baked earth", 'earth' and the past participle of coquere 'to cook' combined.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · medieval terra cotta "baked earth; fired clay", kept the compound sense for fired, unglazed clay.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1722 terracotta "a hard, unglazed brownish-red earthenware", borrowed for the hard, brownish-red earthenware and its color.