Etymograph

English

tarragon

Tarragon comes from Middle French targon, from Arabic طَرْخُون ‘tarragon, estragon’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *derḱ- ‘to see’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*derḱ-1‘to see’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδράκων1drákōn‘dragon, serpent’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδρακόντιον1drakóntion‘dragonwort, Dracunculus vulgaris’
  4. Arabicc. 500–presentطَرْخُون1ṭarḵūn‘tarragon, estragon’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500tragonia1
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600targon1
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2016tarragon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English tarragon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Susan Belsinger, Arthur O. Tucker: “Herbs like tarragon are better preserved in vinegar, since…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*derḱ-Wiktionary, English tarragon‘to see’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδράκωνWiktionary, English tarragondrákōn‘dragon, serpent’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEδρακόντιονWiktionary, English tarragondrakóntion‘dragonwort, Dracunculus vulgaris’
  4. Arabicc. 500–presentطَرْخُونWiktionary, English tarragonṭarḵūn‘tarragon, estragon’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500tragoniaWiktionary, English tarragon
  6. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600targonWiktionary, English tarragon
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2016tarragonWiktionary, English tarragon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2016, Susan Belsinger, Arthur O. Tucker: “Herbs like tarragon are better preserved in vinegar, since…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *derḱ- ‘to see’

darshan, 5 more

through Ancient Greek δράκων ‘dragon, serpent’

drake, dragon, draconian, dragoon, drac, 15 more

Today it means

noun A perennial herb, the wormwood species Artemisia dracunculus, from Europe and parts of Asia.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “tarragon”. 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 *derḱ- / tarragon

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