Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Knickerbocker” come from?

Knickerbocker derives from Dutch Knickerbocker, a surname of Dutch settlers in New York, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰog- meaning to break or bend.

Knickerbocker (English): A New Yorker, particularly a scion of its old...

Definitions

  1. A New Yorker, particularly a scion of its old...

Ancestry of “Knickerbocker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanBäckerbaker; agent noun of backen
2Middle High Germanbecker—
3Old High Germanbeckeri—
4Proto-GermanicbakārijazOne who creates baked goods; baker
5Proto-Germanic-ārijaz-er
6Latin-ārius—
7Proto-Italic*-āzios—
Every word from Proto-Italic *-āzios →