The term cologne originated in the mid-nineteenth century as a shortened form of cologne water, which was a translation of the French term eau de cologne, meaning “water from Cologne”, the German city where it was first made. The etymology of cologne itself is quite fascinating: originally named Oppidum Ubiorum (“town of the Ubius tribe”) when founded in 38 BCE, it was later renamed Colonia Agrippina in honor of Roman emperor Claudius’s wife, Agrippina the Younger, who was born there. Eventually, the name evolved into the toponym we recognize today as Cologne. The term Colonia can be traced back to the Latin verb colere, meaning “cultivate”, which has its roots in the Proto-Indo-European kel, meaning “to move”.
