English
champignon
Champignon comes from French champignon ‘mushroom’, from Vulgar Latin *campāniolus ‘grows in the field’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- ‘to bend, to curve’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂em-1‘to bend, to curve’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂ém-po-s1uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kampos1uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampus1‘level field’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampānia2‘level country’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcampāneus2‘relating to fields’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*campāniolus2‘grows in the field’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400champegnuel2
- Frenchc. 1600–presentchampignon3‘mushroom’
- Englishearliest quotation 1849champignon3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin campania
- 2 Wiktionary, French champignon
- 3 Wiktionary, English champignon
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1849, George Waterhouse, Conjugal Felicities and Infelicities: “The Kamtschadales frequently avail themselves, by way of regale,…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂em-Wiktionary, Latin campania‘to bend, to curve’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kh₂ém-po-sWiktionary, Latin campaniauncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kamposWiktionary, Latin campaniauncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampusWiktionary, Latin campania‘level field’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcampāniaWiktionary, French champignon‘level country’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcampāneusWiktionary, French champignon‘relating to fields’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*campāniolusWiktionary, French champignon‘grows in the field’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400champegnuelWiktionary, French champignon
- Frenchc. 1600–presentchampignonWiktionary, English champignon‘mushroom’
- Englishearliest quotation 1849champignonWiktionary, English champignon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1849, George Waterhouse, Conjugal Felicities and Infelicities: “The Kamtschadales frequently avail themselves, by way of regale,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kh₂em- ‘to bend, to curve’
camera, chamber, chimney, cabaret, camaraderie, kam, gam, camber, skimp, jamb, cantonment, gamba, campanile, chambray, 19 more
through Proto-Italic *kampos
campus, campo, campion, 7 more
through Latin campus ‘level field’
through Late Latin campāneus ‘relating to fields’
Today it means
noun Any mushroom of the genus Agaricus.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “champignon”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin campania, French champignon. 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 *kh₂em- / champignon