Origin story
From Hindi champo, to press or massage, entering English through colonial contact.
Why it sticks
The bottle word began as an action.
Body
The bottle word began as an action.
From Hindi champo, to press or massage, entering English through colonial contact.
The bottle word began as an action.
A short etymology card for shampoo: origin, meaning history, memorable hook, and source-language context.
Use this page as a public web reference, not an official agency record. The linked official source remains the final authority.
Word Origin Atlas. "Shampoo Origin and Meaning | Word Origin Atlas". https://www.wordoriginatlas.com/words/shampoo/. Reviewed Jul 2026.
Source and citation notes