English word origin

Etymology of cache

From French cache (as used by French Canadian trappers to mean “hiding place for stores”), from the verb cacher (“to hide”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To place in a cache. · To store data in a cache. · To participate in geocaching. · To hide or seek a geocache.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French cache (as used by French Canadian trappers to mean “hiding place for stores”), from the verb cacher (“to hide”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentioncachefr

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "cache"
      },
      "expansion": "French cache"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cache",
      "cache#French"
    ],
    [
      "cacher",
      "cacher#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "cachen",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To place in a cache.",
        "To store data in a cache.",
        "To participate in geocaching.",
        "To hide or seek a geocache."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "b6e21f7584aff109ceb4d8b08d4191c90a6e8aacfcbbd0792e75d990776b4794",
      "rawRecordSha256": "df823c1f0120c6de790284610ccf6c7091d15fafd91cb11ca576380791ca5f80",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

Such a store of physical supplies, placed by humans or other animals for practical reasons. · A fast temporary storage where recently or frequently used information is stored to avoid having to reload it from a slower storage medium. · A container containing treasure in a global treasure-hunt game.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French cache (as used by French Canadian trappers to mean “hiding place for stores”), from the verb cacher (“to hide”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentioncachefr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "cache"
      },
      "expansion": "French cache"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cache",
      "cache#French"
    ],
    [
      "cacher",
      "cacher#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Czech",
      "lang_code": "cs",
      "word": "keš",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "word": "cache",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "lang_code": "nl",
      "word": "cache",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "word": "Cache",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Italian",
      "lang_code": "it",
      "word": "cache",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang_code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "lang_code": "nb",
          "word": "cache"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "lang_code": "nn",
          "word": "cache"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "word": "cache",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "word": "кэш",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "kɛš"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "word": "kȅš",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "lang_code": "sh",
      "word": "ке̏ш",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "caché",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Such a store of physical supplies, placed by humans or other animals for practical reasons.",
        "A fast temporary storage where recently or frequently used information is stored to avoid having to reload it from a slower storage medium.",
        "A container containing treasure in a global treasure-hunt game."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

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Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Y2FjaGU