Etymologically
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kiss

Etymology and origin of the English word kiss

History Permalink
Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 750
Inherited from
Old English cyssan via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Proto-Germanic (*kussijaną)

Pronunciation

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English kissen, cussen,[2][3] inherited from Old English cyssan (“to touch with the lips”),[4][2][5] from Proto-Germanic *kussjan,[4][2][5] also the source of Old Saxon kussian, Old Norse kyssa, Dutch kussen and German küssen,[4][2] from *kuss-, the root of Old English coss “a kiss”, probably imitative of the sound.[4][2] Gothic used kukjan.[4][3] Etymonline notes a similar ku- sound in Greek kynein, Hittite kuwash- and Sanskrit cumbati, but Buck held that such words are no proof that kissing was known in Indo-European times.[4] The noun, Old English coss, became Middle English cos, cus, and was later conformed to the verb.[4][5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Old English cyssan is from about 750 in Barnhart,[2] about 900 in the OED.[6] The noun is from about 1000.[6]

Semantic evolution

The Middle English forms were cussen, about 1175 in southwestern dialect, and kissen, about 1250 in the Midlands;[2] the vowel stayed uncertain through Middle English.[4] Of two people kissing each other it is from about 1300,[4][6] and figuratively a light touch from 1588.[6] The noun kiss replaced coss in the 14th century.[5] A small sweet is from 1825,[4][6] compare Shakespeare's kissing comfits for freshening the breath;[4] a kiss at the end of a letter is from 1882.[6] The kiss of death, from 1944 in Etymonline and 1948 in the OED, alludes to Judas's kiss in Gethsemane.[4][6][7] Old English had sibbecoss for the kiss of peace.[4]

Timeline

  • c. 750 – Old English cyssan.[2]
  • c. 1000 – the noun coss.[6]
  • c. 1300 – to kiss each other.[4]
  • 14th century – noun kiss replaces coss.[5]
  • 1588 – a light touch.[6]
  • 1825 – a sweet.[4][6]
  • 1882 – a kiss in a letter.[6]
  • 1944 – kiss of death.[4]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To touch with the lips as a sign of affection, greeting or respect.
  2. To touch lightly or gently: sunlight kissed the hills.
  3. To brush against, as one billiard ball against another.

Noun

  1. A touch with the lips.
  2. A light touch.
  3. A small piece of candy, as of chocolate.

Word family

  • kissable
  • unkissed
  • kisser
  • ass-kissing
  • kiss-off
  • kiss and tell
  • French kiss
  • kissing

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press

Related etymologies

  • half · also from Old English
  • food · also from Old English
  • wrong · also from Old English
  • win · also from Old English
  • almost · also from Old English
  • death · also from Old English
  • become · also from Old English
  • true · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Kiss.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/kiss. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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