Etymograph

English

carnal

Carnal comes from Late Latin carnālis ‘fleshy’, from Proto-Italic *karō ‘meat’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to cut off, sever’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*karō1‘meat’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarō2‘meat, flesh’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcarnālis2‘fleshy’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400charnel2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carnal2
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1941carnal2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin caro
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English carnal
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1941, George Ryley Scott, London: T. Werner Laurie: “At the town of Mendes, in the principal temple,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin caro‘to cut off, sever’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*karōWiktionary, Latin caro‘meat’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarōWiktionary, English carnal‘meat, flesh’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcarnālisWiktionary, English carnal‘fleshy’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400charnelWiktionary, English carnal
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500carnalWiktionary, English carnal
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1941carnalWiktionary, English carnal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1941, George Ryley Scott, London: T. Werner Laurie: “At the town of Mendes, in the principal temple,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to cut off, sever’

short, across, cross, share, screen, score, cancer, shirt, circle, circuit, curve, crucial, circus, circulation, skirt, curb, scrutiny, shrine, crest, cancellation, scare, scorpion, shred, circa, raffle, corona, circulate, scar, corolla, shear, shrewd, incarceration, carnival, crux, cirque, riddance, circulatory, crepe, scorn, corgi, 114 more

through Proto-Italic *karō ‘meat’

carnitas, 15 more

through Latin carō ‘meat, flesh’

card, incarnation, carnivorous, carrion, incarnate, carnivore, 14 more

through Old French charnel

charnel

Today it means

adj Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites or activities.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “carnal”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin caro. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- / carnal

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