Etymograph

English

cusp

Cusp comes from Latin cuspis ‘a point, spear, pointed end’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcuspis1‘a point, spear, pointed end’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2012cusp1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cusp
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Jonathan Jurejko, Newcastle 3-0 Stoke: “Newcastle were 11 points adrift of Spurs following their…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcuspisWiktionary, English cusp‘a point, spear, pointed end’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 2012cuspWiktionary, English cusp. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2012, Jonathan Jurejko, Newcastle 3-0 Stoke: “Newcastle were 11 points adrift of Spurs following their…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *spey- ‘sharp point’

spike, spine, spinal, spinach, spire, asp, spina, spigot, buckthorn, spica, aspic, 28 more

Today it means

noun A sharp point or pointed end.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cusp”. 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 / Latin cuspis / cusp

Shirt and support for this word