cahoots

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ḱóm“beside, by; near; with”
2. Latin · derived fromcohors“cohort; crowd”
3. French · borrowed fromcohorte“group of people supporting the same person or thing, cohort”
4. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*(s)kewH-“to conceal, hide; to cover; hide, skin”
5. Old French · derived from*cahute
6. Middle Dutch · derived fromkayhute
7. Middle Low German · derived fromkajüte
8. Dutch · derived fromkajuit“cabin on a ship”
9. French · borrowed fromcahute“hut, shack”
10. English todaycahoots

PIE word *ḱóm From earlier cahoot + -s (suffix forming regular plurals of nouns). Cahoot is probably borrowed: * from French cahute (“hut, shack”), from Dutch kajuit (“cabin on a ship”), from Middle Low German kajüte, probably from Middle Dutch kayhute; further etymology uncertain, possibly borrowed from Old French *cahute, chahute (whence Middle French quahute), a blend of cabane (“cabin, hut, shack”) + hute (“hut”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to conceal, hide; to cover; hide, skin”)); or * from French cohorte (“group of people supporting the same person or thing, cohort”), from Latin cohors (“cohort; crowd”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”) + *ǵʰer- (“to enclose”) (and if so, a doublet of cohort).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from early 19th c. Chiefly preceded by in: collaboration or collusion, chiefly for a nefarious reason.