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Where does the word "trunk" come from? It comes from Latin truncus, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
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Where does the word "trunk" come from? It comes from Latin truncus, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).
Trunk’s story begins in Latin: truncus meant “trunk, torso.” The root of 'truncate'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as tronc. A tree trunk. It reached English by 1400s as trunk. An elephant's 'trunk' and the car 'trunk' came later. Today, trunk means the main stem of a tree; a storage box.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient truncus "trunk, torso", the root of 'truncate'.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval tronc "trunk, torso", a tree trunk.
- Stage 3 · English · 1400s trunk "tree trunk", an elephant's 'trunk' and the car 'trunk' came later.