dragoon

The story

1. French · derived fromdragonner“to force (someone) into doing something, coerce; to torment (oneself)”
2. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*derḱ-“to see”
3. Ancient Greek · derived fromδρᾰ́κων“dragon; serpent”
4. Latin · derived fromdracō“dragon; kind of serpent or snake”
5. French · borrowed fromdragon“dragon (mythological creature); type of cavalry soldier, dragoon”
6. English todaydragoon

The noun is borrowed from French dragon (“dragon (mythological creature); type of cavalry soldier, dragoon”) (originally referring to a soldier armed with the firearm of the same name (noun sense 1.1)), ultimately from Latin dracō (“dragon; kind of serpent or snake”), from Ancient Greek δρᾰ́κων (drắkōn, “dragon; serpent”), possibly from δέρκομαι (dérkomai, “to see, see clearly (in the sense of something staring)”), from Proto-Indo-European *derḱ- (“to see”)). Doublet of Draco, Dracon, dracone, dragon, and drake. The verb is either derived: * from the noun; or * from French dragonner (“to force (someone) into doing something, coerce; to torment (oneself)”), from dragon (noun) (see above) + -er (suffix forming infinitives of first-conjugation verbs).

Words from the same roots