Where does “Detroit” come from?
Detroit comes from French détroit, derived from Latin districtus (past participle of distringere, meaning to pull apart), which traces back through Latin stringere to Proto-Indo-European strenk- and streyg-.
Detroit (English): The United States' automotive industry
Definitions
- The United States' automotive industry
Ancestry of “Detroit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | détroit | strait |
| 2 | Latin | districtus | busy, stretched; distracted |
| 3 | Latin | strictus | tightened, compressed, having been tightened;... |
| 4 | Latin | stringere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 5 | Latin | stringo | I press, tighten, compress; I unsheath |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | stringō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | streyg- | to strike; to shear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |