horde (English)
Where does "horde" come from?
The English word 'horde' has been recorded since 1555 and entered the language through Middle French 'horde', German 'Horde', and Polish 'horda'[1]. These European terms trace back to Russian 'орда́' and Tatar 'урда', meaning 'horde' or 'clan, troop'[1][3]. These forms ultimately derive from Proto-Turkic '*ordu', meaning 'place of staying of the army, ruler etc.'[1], with related terms found in Turkish, Mongolian, and Kalmyk[2]. It forms a doublet with 'orda' and 'Urdu'.
Open questions
- The ultimate origin of the Proto-Turkic form is uncertain, with proposals including a derivation from a hypothetical verb or a borrowing from an unknown source or from Mongolic. [4]
Full etymology tree
- horde (English), 'A wandering troop or gang; especially, a clan or tribe of a nomadic people (originally Tatars) migrating from place to place for the sake of pasturage, plunder, etc.; a predatory multitude.'
- borrowed horde (Middle French)
- borrowed Horde (German), 'horde'
- borrowed horda (Polish), 'horde (wandering troop or gang)'
- borrowed орда (ordá) (Russian), 'horde'
- borrowed Kipchak Turkic (Kipchak Turkic)
- derived *ordu (Proto-Turkic), 'royal camp, palace'
- borrowed Kipchak Turkic (Kipchak Turkic)
- borrowed орда (ordá) (Russian), 'horde'
- borrowed horda (Polish), 'horde (wandering troop or gang)'
- borrowed Horde (German), 'horde'
- borrowed horde (Middle French)
Ancestors
- Horde (German)
- horda (Polish)
- орда (Russian)
- *ordu (Proto-Turkic)
Cognates and doublets
- orda (English)
- Urdu (English)
- орд (Mongolian)
- ordu (Turkish)
Descendants and derived words
- Golden Horde (English)
- hordal (English)
- hordelike (English)
- horde mode (English)
- hordesman (English)
- primal horde (English)
- yellow horde (English)
Sources
- horde (English) - Wiktionary
- Horde (German) - Wiktionary
- horda (Polish) - Wiktionary
- ordu (Proto-Turkic) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris