Online Etymology Dictionary

copulate (v.): early 15c., "to join," from Latin copulatus, past participle of copulare "join together, couple, bind, link, unite," from copula "band, tie, link," from PIE *ko-ap-, from *ko(m)- "together" + *ap- (1) "to take, reach" (see apt). Sexual sense attested from 1630s. Related: Copulated; copulating.
copulation (n.): late 14c., "coupling," from Middle French copulation "mating, copulation" (14c.), from Latin copulationem (nominative copulatio), noun of action from past participle stem of copulare (see copulate). Of the sex act from late 15c., and this became the main sense from 16c.
copy (n.): early 14c., "written account or record," from Old French copie (13c.), from Medieval Latin copia "reproduction, transcript," from Latin copia "plenty, means" (see copious). Sense extended 15c. to any specimen of writing (especially MS for a printer) and any reproduction or imitation. Related: Copyist.
copy (v.): late 14c., from Old French copier (14c.), from Medieval Latin copiare "to transcribe," originally "to write in plenty," from Latin copia (see copy (n.)). Hence, "to write an original text many times." Related: Copied; copying. Figurative sense of "to imitate" is attested from 1640s.
copycat (n.): by 1884, American English, probably at least a generation older, from copy (v.) + cat (n.). As a verb, from 1932.
copyright (n.): "the right to make or sell copies," 1729, from copy (v.) + right (n.). As a verb, from 1806 (implied in past participle adjective copyrighted).
copywriter: "writer of copy for advertisements," 1911, from copy + writer. Related: Copywriting.
coquet (n.): "amorous, flirtatious person," 1690s, originally of both sexes (as it was in French), from French coquet (17c.), diminutive of coq "cock" (see cock (n.1)). A figurative reference to its strut or its lust. The distinction of fem. coquette began c. 1700, and use in reference to males has faded out since.
coquetry (n.): 1650s, from French coquetterie, from coqueter (v.), from coquet (see coquet).
Coquetry whets the appetite; flirtation depraves it .... [Donald Grant Mitchell (1822-1908)]
coquette (n.): 1660s, from French fem. of coquet (male) "flirt" (see coquet).
Cora: fem. proper name, from Latin, from Greek Kore (see Kore).
coracle (n.): "round boat of wicker, coated with skins," 1540s (the thing is described, but not named, in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from 9c.), from Welsh corwgl, from corwg, cognate with Gaelic curachan, Middle Irish curach "boat," which probably is the source of Middle English currock "coracle" (mid-15c.). The name is perhaps from the hides that cover it (see corium).
coral (n.): c. 1300, from Old French coral (12c., Modern French corail), from Latin corallium, from Greek korallion; perhaps of Semitic origin (compare Hebrew goral "small pebble," Arabic garal "small stone"), originally just the red variety found in the Mediterranean, hence use of the word as a symbol of "red." Related: Coralline. Coral snake (1760) is so called for the red zones in its markings. Coral reef is attested from 1745.
corbel (n.): mid-14c., from Old French corbel, diminutive of corb "raven," from Latin corvus (see raven); so called from its beaked shape.
cord (n.): c. 1300, from Old French corde "rope, string, twist, cord," from Latin chorda "string of a musical instrument, cat-gut," from Greek khorde "string, catgut, chord, cord," from PIE root *ghere- "intestine" (see yarn). As a measure of wood (eight feet long, four feet high and wide) first recorded 1610s, so called because it was measured with a cord of rope.
cordage (n.): "ropes, especially on a ship," late 15c., from Old French cordage, from corde "cord" (see cord).
cordial (adj.): late 14c., "of the heart," from Middle French cordial, from Medieval Latin cordialis "of or for the heart," from Latin cor (genitive cordis) "heart," from PIE root *kerd- (1) "heart" (see heart (n.)). Meaning "heartfelt, from the heart" is mid-15c. The noun is late 14c., originally "medicine, food, or drink that stimulates the heart." Related: Cordiality.
cordially (adv.): late 15c., "by heart," from cordial + -ly (2). Meaning "heartily" is from 1530s; weakened sense of "with friendliness" is attested by 1781.
cordillera (n.): 1704, from Spanish, "mountain chain," from cordilla, in Old Spanish "string, rope," diminutive of cuerda, from Latin chorda "cord, rope" (see cord).
cordite (n.): smokeless explosive, 1889, from cord + -ite (2); so called for its "curiously string-like appearance" in the words of a newspaper of the day.
cordon (n.): mid-15c., "cord or ribbon worn as an ornament," from Middle French cordon "ribbon," diminutive of Old French corde "cord" (see cord). Sense of "a line of people or things guarding something" is 1758. Original sense preserved in cordon bleu (1727) "the highest distinction," literally "blue ribbon," for the sky-blue ribbon worn by the Knights-grand-cross of the Holy Ghost (highest order of chivalry); extended figuratively to other persons of distinction, especially, jocularly, to a first-rate cook. Cordon sanitaire (1857), from French, a guarded line between infected and uninfected districts.
cordon (v.): 1560s, "to ornament with a ribbon;" 1891 as "to guard with a cordon;" from cordon (n.). Related: Cordoned; cordoning.
cordovan (n.): 1590s, "fine Spanish leather," from adjective Cordovan, from Spanish cordovan (modern cordoban), from cordovano (adj.) "of Cordova," the Spanish city, former capital of Moorish Spain; a later adoption of the same word that became cordwain (see cordwainer). The city name is from Phoenician qorteb "oil press."
corduroy (n.): 1780, probably from cord + obsolete 17c. duroy, name of a coarse fabric made in England, which is of unknown origin. Folk etymology is from *corde du roi "the king's cord," but this is not attested in French, where the term for the cloth was velours à côtes. Applied in U.S. to a road of logs across swampy ground (1780s) on similarity of appearance.
CORDUROY ROAD. A road or causeway constructed with logs laid together over swamps or marshy places. When properly finished earth is thrown between them by which the road is made smooth; but in newly settled parts of the United States they are often left uncovered, and hence are extremely rough and bad to pass over with a carriage. Sometimes they extend many miles. They derive their name from their resemblance to a species of ribbed velvet, called corduroy. [Bartlett]
cordwainer (n.): "shoemaker, leatherworker," c. 1100, from Anglo-French cordewaner, from Old French cordoan "(leather) of Cordova," the town in Spain whose leather was favored by the upper class for shoes. Compare cordovan, a later borrowing directly from Spanish.
core (n.): late 14c., probably from Old French coeur "core of fruit, heart of lettuce," literally "heart," from Latin cor "heart," from PIE root *kerd- (1) "heart" (see heart (n.)). Nuclear reactor sense is from 1949.
core (v.): mid-15c., from core (n.). Related: Cored; coring.
corgi (n.): 1926, from Welsh corgi, from cor "dwarf" + ci "dog" (see canine).
coriander (n.): late 14c., from Old French coriandre (14c.), from Latin coriandrum, from Greek koriannon, often said by botanists to be related to koris "bedbug" from the bad smell of the unripe fruit, or perhaps a non-Indo-European word conformed to the Greek insect name.
Corinna: fem. proper name, from Latin Corinna, from Greek Korinna, diminutive of kore "maiden," also an epithet of Persephone; see Kore.
Corinth: city in Greece, from Latin Corinthus, from Greek Korinthos, from Pelasgian *kar- "point, peak." The -nthos identifies it as being from the lost pre-IE language of Greece.
Corinthian: 1650s as an architectural order, from Corinth, the ancient Greek city-state. In classical times Corinth was notorious for its luxury and licentiousness among the Greek states (and for not scorning trade and profit); hence Corinthian, noun and adjective, in various slang or colloquial sense in English, especially "a swell, a man about town" (early to mid-19c. but especially in the 1820s).
Coriolis effect (n.): 1969 (earlier Coriolis force, 1923, and other references back to 1912), from the name of French scientist Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis (1792-1843) who described it c. 1835.
corium (n.): 1650s, from Latin corium "skin, hide, leather," related to cortex "bark," scortum "skin, hide," from PIE root *(s)ker- (1) "to cut" (source also of Sanskrit krtih "hide;" Old Church Slavonic scora "skin," Russian skora "hide," kora "bark;" Welsh corwg "boat made with leather skins;" Old English sceran "to cut, shear;" see shear (v.)). Related: Coriaceous.
cork (n.): c. 1300, from Spanish alcorque "cork sole," probably via Arabic and ultimately from Latin quercus "oak" (see Quercus) or cortex (genitive corticis) "bark" (see corium).
Cork: place in Ireland, Englished from Irish Corcaigh, from corcach "marsh."
cork (v.): 1570s, "to put a cork sole on a shoe," from cork (n.)). Meaning "to stop with a cork" is from 1640s. Related: Corked; corking.
corker (n.): 1837, slang, something that "settles" a debate, discussion, conflict, etc.; hence "something astonishing" (1880s). Probably an agent noun from cork (v.) on the notion is of putting a cork in a bottle as an act of finality.
corkscrew (n.): 1720, from cork (n.) + screw (n.). Given various figurative or extended senses from c. 1815; the verb is attested from 1837.
corky (adj.): early 17c., "light, buoyant" (as cork is), hence, figuratively, of persons "lively;" from cork (n.) + -y (2). Of bottled liquors or wine, "having a flavor of cork," from 1889.
corm (n.): 1570s, from French corme, from Latin cornum "cornel-cherry" (but applied to service-berries in French); see cornel.
cormorant (n.): early 14c., from Old French cormarenc (12c., Modern French cormoran), from Late Latin corvus marinus "sea raven" + Germanic suffix -enc, -ing. The -t in English probably is from confusion with words in -ant. It has a reputation for voracity.
corn (n.1): "grain," Old English corn, from Proto-Germanic *kurnam "small seed" (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon korn "grain," Middle Dutch coren, German Korn, Old Norse korn, Gothic kaurn), from PIE root *gre-no- "grain" (source also of Old Church Slavonic zruno "grain," Latin granum "seed," Lithuanian žirnis "pea"). The sense of the Old English word was "grain with the seed still in" (as in barleycorn) rather than a particular plant.

Locally understood to denote the leading crop of a district. Restricted to the indigenous "maize" in America (c. 1600, originally Indian corn, but the adjective was dropped), usually wheat in England, oats in Scotland and Ireland, while Korn means "rye" in parts of Germany. Maize was introduced to China by 1550, it thrived where rice did not grow well and was a significant factor in the 18th century population boom there. Cornflakes first recorded 1907. Corned beef so called for the "corns" or grains of salt with which it is preserved; from verb corn "to salt" (1560s).
corn (n.2): "hardening of skin," early 15c., from Old French corne (13c.) "horn (of an animal)," later, "corn on the foot," from Latin cornu "horn," from PIE *ker- (1) "horn; head, uppermost part of the body" (see horn (n.)).
corn row (n.): also cornrow, 1769 as "a row of corn," by 1971 as a style of hair braids. The verb in this sense also is from 1971.
cornea (n.): late 14c., from Medieval Latin cornea tela "horny web or sheath," from Latin cornu (genitive cornus) "horn," from PIE *ker- (1) "horn; head, uppermost part of the body" (see horn (n.)). So called for its consistency. Related: Corneal.
cornel (n.): a type of tree or shrub with an edible fruit, 1550s, from German cornel-baum, from Old High German cornul, from Medieval Latin cornolium, from French cornouille, from Vulgar Latin *cornuculum, from Latin cornum "cornel-cherry," perhaps related to Greek kerasos "cherry." Old English also had borrowed the Latin word, in corntreow. The plant was noted for its hard wood, which was favored by the ancients for making shafts of spears and arrows.
cornelian (n.): "red variety of chalcedony," a variant of corneline (c. 1400), from Old French corneline (Modern French cornaline), diminutive of corneola, probably from Vulgar Latin *cornea, from Latin cornus, name of a type of berry (see cornel).
Cornelius: masc. proper name, from the name of a Roman gens.
corner (n.): late 13c., from Anglo-French cornere (Old French corniere), from Old French corne "horn, corner," from Vulgar Latin *corna, from Latin cornua, plural of cornu "projecting point, end, horn," from PIE *ker- (1) "horn; head, uppermost part of the body" (see horn (n.)). Replaced Old English hyrne. As an adjective, from 1530s. To be just around the corner in the extended sense of "about to happen" is by 1905.