Etymograph

English

ergot

Ergot comes from Old French argot.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400argot1
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentergot2
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1912ergot2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, French ergot
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English ergot
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1912, Richard Lydekker, The Horse and Its Relatives: “Since the text was in type, Mr. R. I.…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400argotWiktionary, French ergot
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentergotWiktionary, English ergot
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1912ergotWiktionary, English ergot. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1912, Richard Lydekker, The Horse and Its Relatives: “Since the text was in type, Mr. R. I.…”

Every English word from Old French argot

Today it means

noun Any fungus in the genus Claviceps which are parasitic on grasses.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ergot”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for French ergot. 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 / Old French argot / ergot

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