Etymograph

English

tapis

Tapis comes from Old French tapiz ‘carpet’, and goes back to Ancient Greek τάπης.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτάπης1tápēs‘carpet, rug, mat’
  2. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tapēs1‘rug, carpet’reconstructed
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tapiz1‘carpet’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1916tapis1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English tapis
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1916, Philippine Craftsman: “The tapises and blankets woven in Bontoc are similar…”.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτάπηςWiktionary, English tapistápēs‘carpet, rug, mat’
  2. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*tapēsWiktionary, English tapis‘rug, carpet’reconstructed
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400tapizWiktionary, English tapis‘carpet’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1916tapisWiktionary, English tapis. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1916, Philippine Craftsman: “The tapises and blankets woven in Bontoc are similar…”

Linked words

through Ancient Greek τάπης ‘carpet, rug, mat’

tapestry, 3 more

Today it means

noun A tapestry.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tapis”. 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 τάπης / tapis

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