orange (English)

Where does "orange" come from?

The word 'orange' traces its roots back to the Dravidian languages, eventually traveling through Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic before entering European languages. It moved through Old Occitan and Old French as a term for the fruit, before being adopted into Middle English. By the early 16th century, the word transitioned from describing the citrus fruit to representing the color itself, eventually displacing earlier terms like 'yellow-red'.

Full etymology tree

• orange (English), 'To color orange.'
  • inherited orange (Middle English), 'alternative form of orenge'
    • inherited orange (Middle French), 'orange (fruit of the orange tree)'
      • inherited orenge (Old French), 'orange (fruit of the orange tree)'
        • inherited 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 mālum (Latin), 'inflection of malus:'
                  • inherited μᾶλον (mâlon) (Ancient Greek), 'Doric and Aeolic form of μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”)'
            • compound arancia (Italian), 'orange (fruit)'
              • inherited نَارَنْج (nāranj) (Arabic), 'bitter orange (Citrus aurantium)'
                • inherited نَارَنْگ (nārang) (Persian), 'bitter orange'
                  • inherited नारङ्ग (nāraṅga) (Sanskrit), 'the orange tree'
          • influence Orange (French), 'Orange (a town in Vaucluse department, in southern France)'
          • influence auranja (Old Occitan), 'orange (fruit)'

Direct ancestors

• orenge (Middle English)
• orenge (Middle English)
• auranja (Old Occitan)
• नारङ्ग (Sanskrit)
• നാരങ്ങ (Malayalam)

Updated July 2026

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