Where does “Jack the Ripper” come from?
Jack the Ripper (English) comes from English Jack, from Middle English jakke, from Anglo-Norman jacke, from Middle French jaque, from Middle French jacques, from French jacques, from Latin Iacobus, from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος — heel of the foot; heel.
Jack the Ripper (English): A supposed individual who was an unidentified 19th century serial killer in Whitechapel, London, England, UK; who has become part of folklore
Definitions
- A supposed individual who was an unidentified 19th century serial killer in Whitechapel, London, England, UK; who has become part of folklore
Ancestry of “Jack the Ripper”, step by step
Jack the Ripper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Jack
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Jack | A placeholder or conventional name for any man,... |
| 2 | Middle English | jakke | A padded coat, especially as light armour |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | jacke | — |
| 4 | Middle French | jaque | — |
| 5 | Middle French | jacques | — |
| 6 | French | jacques | plural of jacque; a stupid person; a jemmy or... |
| 7 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | Jacob |
| 10 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 11 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |
via English ripper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ripper | Something that rips something else; Someone who... |
| 2 | English | RIP | Initialism of requiescat in pace, initialism of... |
| 3 | English | -le | A frequentative suffix of verbs, indicating... |
| 4 | Middle English | -el | — |
| 5 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 6 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |