Etymograph

English

champ

Champ comes from Old French champiun ‘fighter, champion’, from Proto-West Germanic *kamp ‘field, field of battle’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂ém-po-s.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂ém-po-s1uncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kampos1uncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampus2‘place or field of action’
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kamp2‘field, field of battle’reconstructed
  5. Frankishc. 250–700*kampijō2reconstructed
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500campiō3‘fighter’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400champiun4‘fighter, champion’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500champioun4‘an athlete’
  9. English1500–presentchampion4
  10. Englishearliest quotation 2004champ4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin campus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin campio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old French champiun
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English champ
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2004, OOOOH! New tyres are fun: “Just take it easy and make sure you don't…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂ém-po-sWiktionary, Latin campusuncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kamposWiktionary, Latin campusuncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampusWiktionary, Latin campio‘place or field of action’
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kampWiktionary, Latin campio‘field, field of battle’reconstructed
  5. Frankishc. 250–700*kampijōWiktionary, Latin campioreconstructed
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500campiōWiktionary, Old French champiun‘fighter’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400champiunWiktionary, English champ‘fighter, champion’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500champiounWiktionary, English champ‘an athlete’
  9. English1500–presentchampionWiktionary, English champ
  10. Englishearliest quotation 2004champWiktionary, English champ. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2004, OOOOH! New tyres are fun: “Just take it easy and make sure you don't…”

Linked words

through Latin campus ‘place or field of action’

campaign, campus, campo, campania, campagna, 9 more

through Proto-West Germanic *kamp ‘field, field of battle’

camp, kemp, 1 more

through Middle English champioun ‘an athlete’

campion, 1 more

Another origin of champ

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500champen
  2. Englishtodaychamp

Another origin of champ

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂ém-po-suncertain
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kamposuncertain
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampus‘field’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400champ‘field’
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600champ‘field’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentchamp‘field’
  7. Englishtodaychamp

Today it means

noun Buddy, sport, mate. (as a term of address)

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “champ”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin campus, Latin campio, Old French champiun. 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 *kh₂ém-po-s / champ

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