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concord

Etymology and origin of the English word concord

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɒnkɔːd/, /ˈkɒŋkɔːd/ (UK); /ˈkɑnkɔɹd/, /ˈkɑŋkɔɹd/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English concorde, borrowed from Old French concorde,[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin concordia (“agreement, union”),[2][3][4][5][6] from concors “of one mind”,[2][3][4] from Latin con- (“together”) + cor (“heart”).[2][3][4][5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Agreement between persons, union in feeling and opinion (before 1300 in the OED; before 1325 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

From the general sense of harmony the word developed specific uses: a treaty establishing peace between parties or nations (c. 1425),[7][4] agreement or harmony between things, especially sounds (before 1340),[7] a consonant musical chord (1589),[7] and grammatical agreement between words in person, number, gender or case (1530).[7][2]

Timeline

  • before 1300 – agreement between persons, harmony.[7][3][4]
  • before 1340 – harmony between things or sounds.[7]
  • c. 1425 – a state of peace; a treaty.[7][4]
  • 1530 – grammatical agreement.[7]
  • 1589 – a consonant musical chord.[7]
  • 1853 – the Concord grape, from Concord, Massachusetts.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Agreement of interests or feelings; harmony or accord.
  2. A treaty or covenant establishing peaceful relations.
  3. (grammar) Agreement between words in person, number, gender and case.
  4. (music) A combination of tones that sounds stable and needs no resolution; a consonance.

Word family

  • concordal
  • discord
  • accord
  • concordance
  • cordial
  • heart

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Concord.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/concord. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·