English
cannula
Cannula comes from Late Latin cannula ‘reed’, and goes back to Akkadian qanûm.
- Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûm1transliteratedcuneiform qanûm, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ννᾰ1kắnnă‘giant reed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanna1‘a reed, cane’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcannula2‘reed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1915cannula2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin cannula
- 2 Wiktionary, English cannula
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, F. H. Westmacott, System of Treatment by many Writers: “Two or three cannulæ are requisite also for washing…”.
Lineage
- Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûmWiktionary, Latin cannulatransliteratedcuneiform qanûm, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκᾰ́ννᾰWiktionary, Latin cannulakắnnă‘giant reed’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcannaWiktionary, Latin cannula‘a reed, cane’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcannulaWiktionary, English cannula‘reed’
- Englishearliest quotation 1915cannulaWiktionary, English cannula. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1915, F. H. Westmacott, System of Treatment by many Writers: “Two or three cannulæ are requisite also for washing…”
The story
Canna is derived from Ancient Greek κᾰ́ννᾰ (kắnnă, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 (qanûm, “cane; reed”). The plural form cannulae is borrowed from Late Latin cannulae.
Linked words
through Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝
canon, canister, kanon, 14 more
through Latin canna ‘a reed, cane’
canada, channel, canal, cannon, cane, kennel, canna, cannoli, 7 more
Today it means
noun A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “cannula”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin cannula. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Akkadian qanûm / cannula