King
/kɪŋ/noun
A male monarch or ruler of a kingdom.
Did you know?The word 'king' is linked to the Old English 'cyning', which itself is related to 'kin', revealing a powerful connection between rulership and bloodline.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*genə-
“to give birth, to beget, to create.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kuningaz
“descendant, king, derived from kin.”
Old English
OE
cyning
“king, ruler, derived from kinship.”
Middle English
ME
kinge
“the male monarch, derived from Old English.”
Modern English
English
king
“the male head of a monarchy.”