croissant (Spanish)
Where does "croissant" come from?
The Spanish term 'croissant' is an unadapted borrowing from the French word, which describes the shape of the crescent moon. Its roots reach back to the Latin word 'crēscō,' meaning 'to grow,' as it originally functioned as a participle describing something in the process of increasing or rising. This linguistic lineage traveled from Latin through Old French before becoming the name for the iconic, curved pastry known worldwide today.
Full etymology tree
- croissant (Spanish), 'alternative form of cruasán'
- borrowed croissant (French), 'crescent'
- inherited croisant (Old French)
- inherited crēscentem (Latin), 'accusative masculine/feminine singular of crēscēns'
- inherited crēscō (Latin), 'to rise, grow, grow up; prosper, thrive; increase, multiply, augment'
- inherited *ḱreh₁-sḱéti (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *ḱer- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grow, to make grow, to nourish'
- inherited *ḱreh₁-sḱéti (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited crēscō (Latin), 'to rise, grow, grow up; prosper, thrive; increase, multiply, augment'
- inherited crēscentem (Latin), 'accusative masculine/feminine singular of crēscēns'
- inherited croisant (Old French)
- borrowed croissant (French), 'crescent'
Ancestors
- croissant (French)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris