# Carolingian

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˌkæ.ɹəˈlɪn.dʒɪ.ən/ · frequency rank #68,080

## Definitions
1. Of or pertaining to the Carolings, the members of a Frankish dynasty, descended from Charles Martel, which arose from the Pippinid and Arnulfingian clans in the 7th century and ruled parts of western Europe until the 9th century, reaching its peak under Martel's grandson Charlemagne.
2. Being or relating to a style of minuscule script.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *ǵerh₂-der.
Proto-Germanic *karaz
Proto-Germanic *karilaz
Proto-West Germanic *karil
Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kʷo-der.?
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos
Proto-Germanic *-īnaz
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Proto-Germanic *-gaz
?
Proto-Germanic *-ingaz
Proto-West Germanic *-ing
Medieval Latin Carolingī
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Italic *-nos
Latin -nus
Latin -ānus
Latin -iānusbor.
English -ian
English Carolingian
From Medieval Latin Carolingī (“Carolings (descendants of Charles Martel)”) [plural of Carolingus, from a Frankish patronymic ultimately composed of Proto-West Germanic *karil + *-ing] + -ian. Reshaping of earlier Carlovingian, from Middle French Carlovingien, itself a misconstruction of Carlingien.
By surface analysis, Caroling + -ian.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/carolingian