culture etymology

English word culture comes from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-, Latin colum, Latin colere

Detailed word origin of culture

Dictionary entryLanguageDefinition
*kʷel- Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro)
colum Latin (lat) (poetic) a wicker basket for catching fish. Colander, strainer.
colere Latin (lat)
*quelo Latin (lat)
quelo Latin (lat)
colare Latin (lat)
cultus Latin (lat) (rare) The act of laboring at, labor, care, cultivation, culture.. (rare) Training, education, culture.. A religious group, cult, sect.. Care directed to the refinement of life, cultural pursuit, civilization, culture, style; elegance, polish, refinement.. Style of dress, external appearance, clothing, attire; ornament, decoration, splendor.. The act of honoring or worshipping, reverence, [...]
cultura Latin (lat) Care, cultivation; agriculture, tillage, husbandry. Culture, cultivation.
culture Middle French (ca. 1400-1600) (frm)
culture English (eng) (transitive) To increase the artistic or scientific interest (in something). (Compare cultivate.). (transitive) To maintain in an environment suitable for growth (especially of bacteria). (Compare cultivate.) (anthropology) Any knowledge passed from one generation to the next, not necessarily with respect to human beings.. (botany) Cultivation.. (cartography) The details on a map that do not [...]

Words with the same origin as culture

Descendants of *kʷel-
behold bicycle bike collar colonel colony column cult cultural cycle gal hail halt held hold holding holly holy household motorcycle pole shall wheel wheelchair
Descendants of colum
agricultural agriculture cologne colon colonial cultivate perk perky pilgrim pilgrimage