bacon (English)
Where does "bacon" come from?
The word 'bacon' descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰeg-, meaning 'back' or 'buttocks,' eventually evolving into the Proto-Germanic term *bakô. This traveled through Frankish and Anglo-Norman into Middle English, where it specifically designated cured meat taken from the back and sides of a pig. Over time, the term expanded further, leading to its modern colloquial use as slang for police, which originated as an extension of the derogatory term 'pig'.
Full etymology tree
- bacon (English), 'Cured meat from the sides, belly, or back of a pig.'
- inherited bacoun (Middle English), 'Cured meat from the back and sides of a pig; bacon.'
- borrowed bacon (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited *bakō (Old Low Frankish)
- inherited *bakô (Proto-Germanic)
- derived *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bʰeg- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to break'
- derived *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bakkô (Proto-Germanic)
- derived *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bʰeg- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to break'
- derived *baką (Proto-Germanic), 'back, rear'
- inherited *bakô (Proto-Germanic)
- inherited *bakō (Old Low Frankish)
- borrowed bacon (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited bacoun (Middle English), 'Cured meat from the back and sides of a pig; bacon.'
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris