Where does “Bakersfield” come from?
Bakersfield (English) comes from English field, from Middle English feeld, from Old English feld, from Proto-West Germanic felþu, from Proto-Germanic felþuz, from Proto-Indo-European pelh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European pel- — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.
Ancestry of “Bakersfield”, step by step
Bakersfield traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English field
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | field | A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns;... |
| 2 | Middle English | feeld | A field; The countryside; empty land that... |
| 3 | Old English | feld | field |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | felþu | field |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | felþuz | field, plain |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pelh₂- | to approach |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pel- | to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold |
via English baker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | baker | A person who bakes and sells bread, cakes and... |
| 2 | Middle English | bakere | baker |
| 3 | Old English | bæcere | baker |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bakārijaz | One who creates baked goods; baker |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 6 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |