Etymograph

English

corollary

Corollary comes from Late Latin corōllārium ‘money paid for a garland’, from corōna ‘crown’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-1‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνη1‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōna2‘crown’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōlla2‘small garland’diminutive of corōna
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōllārium2‘money paid for a garland’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978corollary2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin corona
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English corollary
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “[…] he was indeed of the opinion that the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(s)ker-Wiktionary, Latin corona‘to turn, bend’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνηWiktionary, Latin corona‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōnaWiktionary, English corollary‘crown’
  4. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōllaWiktionary, English corollary‘small garland’diminutive of corōna
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcorōllāriumWiktionary, English corollary‘money paid for a garland’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1978corollaryWiktionary, English corollary. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1978, 1976, Leszek Kołakowski: “[…] he was indeed of the opinion that the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ‘to turn, bend’

short, across, share, cancer, screen, card, cross, shirt, circle, circuit, score, crucial, curve, circus, skirt, scare, circulation, curb, scrutiny, shrine, carnival, crest, circa, scar, cancellation, shred, incarceration, shear, raffle, carnage, shrewd, crux, scorpion, circulate, carcinoma, cirque, riddance, crepe, shard, carnal, 116 more

through Ancient Greek κορώνη ‘a type of sea-bird, perhaps shearwater’

crowning, coronary, coronal, 11 more

through Late Latin corōna ‘crown’

crown, coronation, coroner, corona, tosh, coronet, krona, 14 more

Today it means

noun A gift beyond what is actually due; an addition or superfluity.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “corollary”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin corona. 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- / corollary

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