English word origin

Etymology of chest

From Middle English cheste, chiste, from Old English ċest, ċist (“chest, casket; coffin; rush basket; box”), from Proto-West Germanic *kistu (“chest, box”), from Latin cista (“chest, box”), from Ancient Greek κίστη (kíst

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

Original entry ↗

noun

A box, now usually a large strong box with a secure convex lid. · A coffin. · The place in which public money is kept; a treasury. · A chest of drawers.

verb

To hit with one's chest (front of one's body) · To deposit in a chest. · To place in a coffin. · To handle, deal with.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionchesteenm
Inherited-form mentionċestang
Inherited-form mention*kistugmw-pro
Derivation mentioncistala
Derivation mentionκίστηgrc · chest, box, basket, hamper

This page abbreviates 4 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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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "cheste",
        "id": "chest"
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      "expansion": "Middle English cheste"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
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        "4": "",
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    },
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    },
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        "3": "κίστη",
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    }
  ],
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      "cheste#Middle_English:_chest"
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    ],
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      "cest#Old_English"
    ],
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      "cist#Old_English"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/kistu"
    ],
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      "cista",
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    ],
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      "κίστη",
      "κίστη#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
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      "glosses": [
        "A box, now usually a large strong box with a secure convex lid.",
        "A coffin.",
        "The place in which public money is kept; a treasury.",
        "A chest of drawers."
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      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Debate; quarrel; strife; enmity.

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

From Middle English chest, cheste, cheeste, cheaste, from Old English ċēast, ċēas (“strife, quarrel, quarrelling, contention, murmuring, sedition, scandal; reproof”). Related to Old Frisian kāse (“strife, contention”), Old Saxon caest (“quarrel, dispute”), Old High German kōsa (“speech, story, account”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionchestenm
Inherited-form mentionċēastang
Cognate mentionkāseofs
Cognate mentioncaestosx
Cognate mentionkōsagoh

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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    },
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    },
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      "name": "cog",
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    ],
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      "cheaste",
      "cheaste#Middle_English"
    ],
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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.

Contribute located evidence for chest →

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-Y2hlc3Q