Etymograph

English

disc

Disc comes from Latin discus ‘a discus, quoit’, and goes back to Ancient Greek δικεῖν ‘to cast’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδικεῖν1dikeîn‘to cast’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδίσκος2dískos‘disk, quoit, platter’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscus2‘a discus, quoit’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentdisque2
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1847disc2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek δίσκος
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English disc
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, Improvement in Water Taps, Cister Valves, &c.: “; the top one is acted on by the…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδικεῖνWiktionary, Ancient Greek δίσκοςdikeîn‘to cast’
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδίσκοςWiktionary, English discdískos‘disk, quoit, platter’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdiscusWiktionary, English disc‘a discus, quoit’
  4. Frenchc. 1600–presentdisqueWiktionary, English disc
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1847discWiktionary, English disc. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1847, editorial staff, Improvement in Water Taps, Cister Valves, &c.: “; the top one is acted on by the…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek δίσκος ‘disk, quoit, platter’

disk, 6 more

through Latin discus ‘a discus, quoit’

desk, dish, dais, tish, 4 more

Today it means

noun A thin, flat, circular plate or similar object.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “disc”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek δίσκος. 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 / Ancient Greek δικεῖν / disc

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