Etymograph

English

recharge

Recharge comes from Old French rechargier, from chargier ‘to load’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-1‘to run’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sós1‘vehicle, literally runner’reconstructedzero-grade form of *ḱers-
  3. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*karros1‘wagon’reconstructed
  4. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CE*karros1‘wagon’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarrus2‘four-wheeled baggage wagon’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcarricāre2
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chargier3‘to load’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400rechargier3
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1667recharge3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin carrus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old French chargier
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English recharge
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders: “They charge, recharge, and all along the sea /…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱers-Wiktionary, Latin carrus‘to run’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱr̥sósWiktionary, Latin carrus‘vehicle, literally runner’reconstructedzero-grade form of *ḱers-
  3. Proto-Celticc. 1300–800 BCE*karrosWiktionary, Latin carrus‘wagon’reconstructed
  4. Gaulishc. 500 BCE–500 CE*karrosWiktionary, Latin carrus‘wagon’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcarrusWiktionary, Old French chargier‘four-wheeled baggage wagon’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcarricāreWiktionary, Old French chargier
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chargierWiktionary, English recharge‘to load’
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400rechargierWiktionary, English recharge
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1667rechargeWiktionary, English recharge. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders: “They charge, recharge, and all along the sea /…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- ‘to run’

course, current, rush, occur, currency, hurry, curriculum, corridor, courier, incur, concur, precursor, cursor, carousel, hurrah, corsair, recursive, courant, recursion, succour, recur, hussar, 42 more

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós ‘vehicle, literally runner’

corral, 13 more

through Latin carrus ‘four-wheeled baggage wagon’

car, carry, career, carrier, cargo, carriage, discharge, caricature, chariot, carrack, 11 more

Today it means

verb To charge an electric battery after its power has been consumed.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “recharge”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin carrus, Old French chargier. 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-Indo-European *ḱers- / recharge

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