English
triumph
Triumph comes from Latin triumphus ‘triumphal procession’, and goes back to Ancient Greek θρίαμβος ‘thriambus’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθρίαμβος1thríambos‘thriambus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriumphus1‘triumphal procession’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400triumphe1
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607triumph1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English triumph
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra: “Eros has Packt Cards with Cæsars, and false plaid…”.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEθρίαμβοςWiktionary, English triumphthríambos‘thriambus’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriumphusWiktionary, English triumph‘triumphal procession’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400triumpheWiktionary, English triumph
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607triumphWiktionary, English triumph. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra: “Eros has Packt Cards with Cæsars, and false plaid…”
Linked words
through Latin triumphus ‘triumphal procession’
through Old French triumphe
Another origin of triumph
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEtriumpus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriumphus‘a triumphal procession’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtriumphō‘to triumph (over)’
- Englishtodaytriumph
Today it means
noun A conclusive success following an effort, conflict, or confrontation of obstacles; victory; conquest.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “triumph”. 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 θρίαμβος / triumph