Online Etymology Dictionary

carriage: 1388, "act of carrying, means of conveyance," from Anglo-Fr. cariage "cart, carriage," from carier "to carry" (see carry). Specific sense of "horse-drawn, wheeled vehicle for hauling people" first attested 1706.
carrion: early 13c., from Anglo-Fr. carogne, from V.L. *caronia "carcass," from L. caro "meat."
carrot: 1533, from M.Fr. carrotte, from L. carota, from Gk. karoton "carrot," from PIE *kre-, from base *ker- "horn, head," so called for its horn-like shape. Planted as a garden vegetable by 1609 by Jamestown colonists.
carrousel: variant of carousel.
carry: c.1320, from Anglo-Fr. carier "to transport in a vehicle," from Gallo-Romance *carrizare, from L.L. carricare, from L. carrum (see car). Sense of "gain victory in an election" is from 1619. Carrier "person or animal that carries and disseminates infection without suffering obvious disease" is from 1899; genetic sense is 1933. As a short form of aircraft carrier it dates from 1917. Carrier pigeon is from 1641. Carry-all in the baggage sense is from 1884. Carrying capacity is attested from 1883. Carry on "continue to advance" is from 1649; carryings-on "questionable doings" is from 1663. Carry-castle (1598) was an old descriptive term for an elephant.
cart: c.1200, from O.N. kartr, akin to O.E. cræt "chariot," perhaps orig. "body of a cart made of wickerwork, hamper;" related to O.E. cradol (see cradle). The verb meaning "to carry in a cart" is from c.1440.
cartage: 1428, from cart.
carte blanche: 1707, from Fr., lit. "blank paper" (see card (n.)); figurative sense of "full discretionary power" is from 1766.
carte-de-visite: 1861, from Fr., lit. "visiting card" (see card (n.)); photograph portrait mounted on a 3.5 by 2.5 inch card.
cartel: 1560, "a written challenge," from M.Fr. cartel, from It. cartello, dim. of carta "card." It came to mean "written agreement between challengers" (1692). Sense of "a commercial trust" comes 1902, via Ger. Kartell.
Cartesian: 1656, from Cartesius, Latinized form of the name of Fr. philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650).
Carthage: ancient city of North Africa, from Phoenician quart khadash "new town."
Carthusian: c.1394, from L. Cartusianus, in reference to an austere order of monks founded 1086 by St. Bruno at Chartreux, village in Dauphiné, France.
cartilage: 1541, from L. cartilago (gen. cartilaginis) "cartilage, gristle."
cartilaginous: 1541, from L. cartilaginosus, from cartilaginem (nom. cartilago) "cartilage, gristle."
cartography: 1859, from Fr. cartographie, from M.L. carta (see card (n.)) + Fr. -graphie, from Gk. -graphein "to write, to draw."
carton: 1816, from Fr. carton "pasteboard," from It. cartone "pasteboard," augmentive of M.L. carta "paper" (see card (n.)). Originally the material for making paper boxes; extended 1906 to the boxes themselves.
cartoon: 1671, from Fr. carton, from It. cartone "strong, heavy paper, pasteboard," thus "preliminary sketches made by artists on such paper," augmentive of M.L. carta "paper" (see card (n.)). Extension to comical drawings in newspapers and magazines is 1843. Cartoonist first recorded 1880.
"Punch has the benevolence to announce, that in an early number of his ensuing Volume he will astonish the Parliamentary Committee by the publication of several exquisite designs, to be called Punch's Cartoons!" ["Punch," June 24, 1843]
cartouche: 1611, Fr. form of cartridge (q.v.). Application to Egyptian hieroglyphics dates from 1830, on resemblance to rolled paper cartridges.
cartridge: 1579, corruption of Fr. cartouche "a full charge for a pistol," from It. cartoccio "roll of paper," an augmentive form of M.L. carta "paper" (see card (n.)). The notion is of a roll of paper containing a charge for a firearm.
cartwheel: late 14c., "wheel of a cart." Meaning "lateral somersault" is recorded from 1864; as a verb, from 1920.
carve: O.E. ceorfan (class III strong verb; past tense cearf, pp. corfen), from W.Gmc. *kerfan, from PIE base *gerebh- "to scratch," making carve the Eng. cognate of Gk. graphein. Once extensively used, most senses now usurped by cut. Meaning specialized to sculpture, meat, etc., by 16c. Strong conjugation became weak, but archaic carven is still encountered. In a set of dining chairs, the one with the arms, usually at the head of the table, is the carver (1927), reserved for the one who carves.
caryatid: 1563, "carved female figure used as a column," from M.Fr. cariatide, from L. caryatides, from Gk. Karyatides "priestess of Artemis at Caryae" (Gk. Karyai), a town in Laconia where dance festivals were held in Artemis' temple.
casaba: late 19c., from Kasaba, old name of Turgutlu, in Aegean Turkey, whence the melons were imported to U.S. The old name is lit. "the town."
Casablanca: city in Morocco, Sp., lit. "white house."
Casanova: 1888, from Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seignalt (1725-98), legendary debaucher.
casbah: from Fr. casbah, from N.African Arab dialect kasba "fortress."
cascade: 1641, from Fr., from It. cascata "waterfall," from cascare "to fall," from V.L. *casicare, from L. casum, pp. of cadere "to fall" (see case (1)). The verb is attested from 1702.
case (1): "state of affairs," early 13c., from O.Fr. cas "an event," from L. casus "a chance," lit. "a falling," from cas-, pp. stem of cadere "to fall, sink, settle down, decline, perish" (used widely: of the setting of heavenly bodies, the fall of Troy, suicides), from PIE base *kad- "to lay out, fall or make fall, yield, break up" (cf. Skt. sad- "to fall down," Armenian chacnum "to fall, become low," perhaps also M.Ir. casar "hail, lightning"). The notion being "that which falls" as "that which happens." Widespread extended senses in law, medicine, grammar, etc. In case "in the event" is recorded from mid-14c. Case history is from 1912, originally medical; case study is from 1933, originally legal.
case (2): "receptacle," c.1300, from O.N.Fr. casse, O.Fr. chasse, from L. capsa "box," from capere "to take, hold" (see capable). The verb meaning "examine, inspect" (usually prior to robbing) is Amer.Eng. slang first recorded 1915. Staircase is from 1663. Artillery sense is from 1667, from case-shot "small projectiles put in cases" (1625). Reference in the printing trade (first recorded 1588) to the two trays where compositors keep their types in separate compartments for easy access led to upper case for capitals and lower case for small letters.
casein: 1841, from L. caseus "cheese" (see cheese).
casement: 1430, probably aphetic of O.Fr. dial. enchassement "window frame," from en- "in," prefix forming verbs, + casse "case, frame" (see case (2)) + -ment. Or possibly from Anglo-L. cassementum, from casse. The Irish surname is originally Mc Casmonde (attested from 1429), from Mac Asmundr, from Ir. mac "son of" + O.N. Asmundr "god protector."
cash: 1593, from M.Fr. caisse "money box," from Prov. caissa, It. cassa, from L. capsa "box" (see case (2)); originally the money box, but the secondary sense of the money in it became sole meaning 18c. Verb meaning "to convert to cash" (as a check, etc.) is first attested 1811. Like most financial terms in Eng., ultimately from It. (cf. bankrupt, etc.). Not related to (but influencing the form of) the colonial British cash "Indian monetary system, Chinese coin, etc.," which is from Tamil kasu, Skt. karsha, Sinhalese kasi. Cash crop is attested from 1869; cash flow from 1954.
cashew: 1704, aphetic of Fr. acajou, from older Port. acajú from Tupi (Brazil) acajuba, name of the tree that produces the nut.
cashier (n.): "person in charge of money," 1596, from M.Fr. caissier "treasurer," from caisse "money box" (see cash).
cashier (v.): "dismiss," 1592, from M.Du. casseren "to cast off, discharge," from Fr. casser "to discharge, annul," from L.L. cassare "annul," from L. cassus "void, empty" (see quash).
cashmere: 1684, old spelling of Kashmir, Himalayan kingdom where wool was obtained from long-haired goats. The name is from Skt. Kashypamara "land of Kashyap," said to be the name of a renowned sage. As a name for this kind of woolen fabric, favored for shawls, etc., or for the shawls themselves, it is attested from 1822.
Casimir: proper name, from Pol. Kazimir, lit. "proclaimer of peace," from kazac "to preach" + mir "peace" (see Mir).
casino: 1744, "public room for music or dancing," from It. casino, dim. of casa "house," from L. casa "hut, shed," of uncertain origin. The card game is attested by that name from 1792.
cask: 1458, from M.Fr. casque "cask, helmet," from Sp. casco "skull, cask, helmet," orig. "potsherd," from cascar "to break up," from V.L. *quassicare, freq. of L. quassare "to shake, shatter" (see quash). The sense evolution is unclear.
casket: 1461, "small box for jewels, etc.," possibly formed as a dim. of Eng. cask, or from Norm.-Fr. cassette, from M.Fr. casset (see cassette). Meaning of "coffin" is Amer.Eng., probably euphemistic, first attested 1849.
"Caskets! a vile modern phrase, which compels a person ... to shrink ... from the idea of being buried at all." [Hawthorne, 1863]
casque: "armor for the head," 1580, from Fr., see cask.
Cassandra: Gk. kasandra, daughter of Priam of Troy, seduced by Apollo, who gave her the gift of prophecy, but when she betrayed him he amended it so that, though she spoke truth, none would believe her. Used figuratively since c.1668.
cassava: 1555, from Port. cassave, from Taino (Haiti) caçabi.
casserole: 1706, from Fr. casserole "sauce pan," dim. of M.Fr. casse "pan," from Prov. cassa "melting pan," from M.L. cattia, possibly from Gk. kyathion, dim. of kyathos "bowl, cup." Originally the pan, since 1958 also the dishes cooked in it.
cassette: 1793, "little box," from Fr. cassette, from M.Fr. casset, dim. of Norm.-Fr. casse "box" (see case (2)). Meaning "magnetic tape recorder cartridge" is from 1960.
cassia: cinnamon-like plant, late O.E., from L. cassia, from Gk. kasia, from Heb. q'tsi-ah, from qatsa "to cut off, strip off bark."
Cassiopeia: northern constellation, in Gk. mythology, queen of Ethiopia and mother of Andromeda, from Gk. Kassiepeia, of unknown origin.
cassis: black currant liquor, 1907, from Fr., apparently from L. cassia (see cassia).
Cassius: Roman gens, one of the oldest families of Rome. The conspirator against Caesar was C. Cassius Longinus.