dragon (Romanian)
Where does "dragon" come from?
The Romanian word 'dragon' traces its ancestry back to the Ancient Greek 'drákōn,' a term likely derived from a word for 'seeing' or 'sharp-sighted.' From Greek, it traveled through Latin and French before being borrowed into Romanian. Interestingly, the word shares the same ancient roots as the native Romanian term 'drac,' which shifted in meaning from a mythical beast to the word for 'devil.'
Full etymology tree
- dragon (Romanian), 'a dragon (mythical creature)'
- borrowed dragon (French), 'a dragon, creature or person'
- inherited dragon (Old French), 'dragon (mythical animal)'
- inherited draco (Latin), 'A dragon; a kind of snake or serpent.'
- learned borrowing δράκων (drákōn) (Ancient Greek), 'dragon, serpent'
- derived δέρκομαι (dérkomai) (Ancient Greek), 'to see, see clearly'
- learned borrowing δράκων (drákōn) (Ancient Greek), 'dragon, serpent'
- inherited draco (Latin), 'A dragon; a kind of snake or serpent.'
- inherited dragon (Old French), 'dragon (mythical animal)'
- borrowed dragon (French), 'a dragon, creature or person'
Ancestors
- dragon (French)
- draco (Latin)
Cognates and doublets
Updated May 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris