Where does “Port-a-John” come from?
Port-a-John (English) comes from English john, from Middle English John, from Anglo-Norman Jehan, from Latin Iōhannēs, from Latin Iōannēs, from Ancient Greek Ἰωάννης, from Hebrew יוחנן, from Hebrew חנון.
Ancestry of “Port-a-John”, step by step
Port-a-John traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English john
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | john | A prostitute's client; A device or place to... |
| 2 | Middle English | John | An appellation for a generic individual, especially of lower social standing |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | Jehan | John |
| 4 | Latin | Iōhannēs | — |
| 5 | Latin | Iōannēs | John biblical persons |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | Ἰωάννης | — |
| 7 | Hebrew | יוחנן | Yahweh is gracious |
| 8 | Hebrew | חנון | gracious, merciful, compassionate; passive... |
| 9 | Moroccan Arabic | خنونة | mucus, snot |
| 10 | Arabic | خُنَّة | — |
via English portable
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | portable | Able to be carried or easily moved; Able to be... |
| 2 | Middle English | portable | — |
| 3 | Latin | portabilis | portable, capable of being carried |
| 4 | Latin | -bilis | -ble |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -ðlis | Forms adjectives from verb stems indicating capacity or worth of being acted on |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlis | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -dʰlom | Alternative form of *-trom; instrumental suffix;... |