treasure

Where does the word "treasure" come from? It comes from Greek thesauros, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).

Treasure’s story begins in Greek: thesauros meant “a storehouse of valuables.” A storehouse, a treasury of valuable things. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as tresor. Carried into French for a hoard of precious things. It reached English by 1200s as treasure. Settled as the English word for a valuable hoard of wealth. Today, treasure means a quantity of precious metals, gems, or other valuable objects.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient thesauros "a storehouse of valuables", a storehouse, a treasury of valuable things.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval tresor "a hoard of precious things", carried into French for a hoard of precious things.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1200s treasure "a valuable hoard of wealth or precious objects", settled as the English word for a valuable hoard of wealth.