orange (English)

Where does "orange" come from?

The English verb orange traces its history back to Sanskrit 'नारङ्ग', meaning 'orange tree'[1], which ultimately stems from Dravidian roots[1]. This traveled through Classical Persian 'نَارَنْگْ'[1][12] and Arabic 'نَارَنْج'[1][12] into Old Occitan 'auranja'[1][3] and Old French 'orenge'[1][6], with further influence from Italian compounds like 'melarancio'[1]. The word entered Middle English as 'orenge'[1][4], eventually giving rise to modern uses.

Full etymology tree

orange (English), 'To color orange.'
- inherited orenge (Middle English), 'orange (orange-coloured citrus fruit)'
  - inherited orange (Middle French), 'orange (fruit of the orange tree)'
    - inherited orenge (Old French), 'orange (fruit of the orange tree)'
      - derived pomme d'orenge (Old French), 'orange (fruit)'
        calque melarancia (Italian), 'sweet orange, Citrus sinensis (fruit)'
        compound mela (Italian), 'apple (fruit)'
        inherited mēla (Late Latin)
        inherited melum (Latin), 'apple'
        inherited malum (Latin), 'inflection of malus:'
        derived μᾶλον (mâlon) (Ancient Greek), 'Doric and Aeolic form of μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”)'
        compound arancia (Italian), 'orange (fruit)'
        inherited نارنج (nāranj) (Arabic), 'bitter orange (Citrus aurantium)'
        inherited نَارَنْگْ (nārang) (Early Classical Persian)
        inherited نارङ्ग (nāraṅga) (Sanskrit)
        borrowed Dravidian (Dravidian)
        derived *ŋaːm (Proto-Austroasiatic), 'sweet'
        influence Orange (French), 'Orange (a town in Vaucluse department, in southern France)'
        influence auranja (Old Occitan), 'orange (fruit)'

Ancestors

orenge (Middle English)
auranja (Old Occitan)
नारङ्ग (Sanskrit)

Cognates and doublets

നാരങ്ങ (Malayalam)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris