Etymologically
Log in

kidney

Etymology and origin of the English word kidney

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 1325
Inherited from
Middle English kidenere

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkɪdni/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English kidenere, kideneye, kidenei, of unknown or obscure origin.[2][3][4] The second element seems to be ey, egg (see egg), referring to the shape,[5][2][3] and the plural kidneiren was perhaps influenced by Middle English nere, kidney, from Old English *nēore, cognate with German Niere and Ancient Greek νεφρός (nephrós).[3][6] Barnhart suggests an Old English compound *cydenēore, with dialect kid, a pod (related to cod, a bag),[6] while Etymonline proposes Old English cwiþ, womb.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Either of the pair of organs that secrete urine: before 1325 in Barnhart, about 1325 in the OED, the early 14th century in Etymonline.[6][7][2]

Semantic evolution

The modern spelling developed from kideneye (1392).[6] The figurative sense, temperament, kind or sort, as in of the same kidney, is from the 1550s (before 1555).[2][7][3] The kidney bean, named for its shape, is from the 1540s,[2] and the kidney potato from 1796.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1325 – the organ.[7]
  • 1392 – kideneye.[6]
  • 1540s – kidney bean.[2]
  • 1550s – temperament.[2]
  • 1796 – kidney potato.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Either of a pair of bean-shaped organs that filter waste from the blood and excrete it as urine.
  2. The kidney of an animal eaten as food.
  3. Kind, sort or temperament: a man of a different kidney.

Word family

  • kidneylike
  • kidney-shaped
  • kidneywort
  • artificial kidney
  • kidney bean
  • kidney stone
  • kidney vetch
  • renal
  • nephritis
  • egg

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Kidney.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/kidney. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·