English
decalcomanie
Decalcomanie comes from French décalcomanie ‘decalcomania’, from décalquer ‘to trace, transfer (a design)’, and ultimately from Latin calx ‘heel’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalx1‘heel’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalcō2as calcāre‘to trample, tread on’
- Italianc. 1300–presentcalcare2‘to stomp, to tread’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcalquer3‘to trace, to copy onto a sheet of paper superimposed over the original’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdécalquer4‘to trace, transfer (a design)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdécalcomanie5‘decalcomania’
- Englishtodaydecalcomanie5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin calco
- 2 Wiktionary, French calquer
- 3 Wiktionary, French décalquer
- 4 Wiktionary, French décalcomanie
- 5 Wiktionary, English decalcomanie
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalxWiktionary, Latin calco‘heel’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcalcōWiktionary, French calqueras calcāre‘to trample, tread on’
- Italianc. 1300–presentcalcareWiktionary, French calquer‘to stomp, to tread’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentcalquerWiktionary, French décalquer‘to trace, to copy onto a sheet of paper superimposed over the original’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdécalquerWiktionary, French décalcomanie‘to trace, transfer (a design)’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentdécalcomanieWiktionary, English decalcomanie‘decalcomania’
- EnglishtodaydecalcomanieWiktionary, English decalcomanie
Linked words
through Latin calx ‘heel’
chalk, calcium, calculus, causeway, calcareous, calcite, caulk, recalcitrant, calzone, 32 more
through Latin calcō ‘to trample, tread on’
Today it means
noun decalcomania
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “decalcomanie”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin calco, French calquer, French décalquer, French décalcomanie. 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 calx / decalcomanie