strange (English)
Where does "strange" come from?
The English adjective 'strange' developed from Middle English 'straunge'[1][4], which was borrowed from Old French 'estrange'[1][4]. The Old French term traces back to the Latin adjective 'extraneus', meaning 'that which is on the outside'[1][2], formed from 'extra' ('outside')[3]. Upon entering English, the borrowed word largely displaced native terms such as 'fremd', 'selcouth', and 'uncouth'[1], gradually broadening from notions of external origin or foreignness into the modern sense of being unusual or unfamiliar.
Full etymology tree
- strange (English), 'Not normal; odd, unusual, surprising, out of the ordinary, often with a negative connotation.'
- inherited straunge (Middle English), 'foreign; overseas'
- borrowed estraunge (Old French), 'Late Anglo-Norman spelling of estrange'
- derived estrange (Old French), 'foreign; overseas'
- derived extraneus (Latin), 'foreign'
- affix extra (Latin), 'on the outside'
- contraction extera (Latin), 'inflection of exter:'
- derived exter (Latin), 'on the outside, outward, external, outer, far, remote'
- inherited *eksteros (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *h₁eǵʰsteros (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *h₁éǵʰs (Proto-Indo-European), 'out'
- inherited *h₁eǵʰsteros (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *eksteros (Proto-Italic)
- derived exter (Latin), 'on the outside, outward, external, outer, far, remote'
- contraction extera (Latin), 'inflection of exter:'
- suffix -aneus (Latin), 'Of or pertaining to; -aneous (usually indicates a relationship of position or origin).'
- affix extra (Latin), 'on the outside'
- derived extraneus (Latin), 'foreign'
- derived estrange (Old French), 'foreign; overseas'
- borrowed estraunge (Old French), 'Late Anglo-Norman spelling of estrange'
- inherited straunge (Middle English), 'foreign; overseas'
Ancestors
- straunge (Middle English)
- estrange (Old French)
- extraneus (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
- estrange (English)
- extraneous (English)
- étrange (French)
- extraño (Spanish)
Descendants and derived words
- bestrange (English)
- fact is stranger than fiction (English)
- like a cat in a strange garret (English)
- make strange (English)
- strange bedfellow (English)
- strange bird (English)
- strange fruit (English)
- strange-horned toad (English)
- strangelet (English)
- strangeling (English)
- strangely (English)
- strange matter (English)
Sources
- strange (English) - Wiktionary
- estrange (Old French) - Wiktionary
- extraneus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- straunge (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- extra (Latin) - Wiktionary
- stronge (Middle English) - Wiktionary
- exter (Latin) - Wiktionary
Updated September 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris