Where does “waterboarding” come from?
waterboarding (Dutch) comes from English waterboarding, from English waterboard, from English board, from English boardrider, from English rider, from Middle English ridere, from Middle English ryder, from Old English rīdere — to fit, to fix, to put together.
Ancestry of “waterboarding”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | waterboarding | A torture technique in which the victim is immobilized, has towels or rags wrapped over their face, and has water poured onto them, causing them to experience the sensation of drowning |
| 2 | English | waterboard | A board set up to windward in a boat, to keep out... |
| 3 | English | board | A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any... |
| 4 | English | boardrider | surfer |
| 5 | English | rider | One who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;... |
| 6 | Middle English | ridere | Alternative form of ryder |
| 7 | Middle English | ryder | A rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A... |
| 8 | Old English | rīdere | rider, knight |
| 9 | Old English | rīdan | to ride |
| 10 | Proto-West Germanic | rīdan | to ride |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | rīdaną | to ride |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | rēydʰ- | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |