Etymology

ogre

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Today it means: A large, grotesque, brutish humanoid monster, typically marked by great strength and a propensity to kill or devour humans. Full definition →

French ogre ← Latin Orcus ← Ancient Greek Ὅρκος
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ogre · noun1

  1. Ancient Greek · derived fromὍρκος
  2. Latin · derived fromOrcus“god of the underworld”
  3. French · borrowed fromogre
  4. English todayogre

First attested in the 18th century, borrowed from French ogre, from Latin Orcus (“god of the underworld”), from Ancient Greek Ὅρκος (Hórkos), the personified demon of oaths (ὅρκος (hórkos, “oath”)) who inflicts punishment upon oath-breakers. Doublet of orc and Orcus.

Ogre · proper noun2

  1. Latvian · borrowed fromOgre
  2. Latvian · borrowed fromOgre
  3. English todayOgre

Borrowed from Latvian Ogre.

Words from the same roots

LatinOrcus all →

Orcus

Ancient GreekὍρκος all →

orcos

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.