pork

the english word 'pork' entered the language in the late 13th century via anglo-norman and old french, from the latin 'porcus', a common term for a pig or swine. this latin term is traced back to the proto-italic 'porkos' and further to the proto-indo-european root 'pórḱos', meaning 'young pig, piglet'. the specific adoption of 'pork' for the meat, while the animal retained the germanic name 'pig' (from old english 'picga'), is a classic example of the linguistic influence of the norman conquest, where the french-derived term was used for the meat served at the tables of the ruling class, and the anglo-saxon term was used for the live animal tended by the peasantry.

the word is a simplex loanword. it is derived from the old french 'porc', meaning 'pig, swine, pork', which itself came from the latin 'porcus', meaning 'domestic pig, swine'.