Etymograph

English

queue

Queue comes from Anglo-Norman queue, from Latin cauda ‘tail’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *kaudā.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaudā1‘tail’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcauda2‘tail’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEcōda2
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400queue2
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500queue2
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1820queue2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin cauda
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English queue
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1820, Washington Irving: “The sons, in short square skirted coats with rows…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaudāWiktionary, Latin cauda‘tail’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaudaWiktionary, English queue‘tail’
  3. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEcōdaWiktionary, English queue
  4. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400queueWiktionary, English queue
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500queueWiktionary, English queue
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1820queueWiktionary, English queue. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1820, Washington Irving: “The sons, in short square skirted coats with rows…”

Linked words

through Latin cauda ‘tail’

caudal, coda, 8 more

through Vulgar Latin cōda

cola, cue

Today it means

noun A line of people, vehicles or other objects, usually one to be dealt with in sequence (i.e., the one at the front end is dealt with first, the one behind is dealt with next, and so on), and which newcomers join at the opposite end (the back).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “queue”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin cauda. 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-Italic *kaudā / queue

Shirt and support for this word