Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Walkman” come from?

Walkman comes from English walk and man, with walk tracing to Middle English walken, from Proto-Germanic walkōną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wel-, meaning to turn or roll.

Walkman (English): Alternative letter-case form of walkman

Definitions

  1. Alternative letter-case form of walkman

Ancestry of “Walkman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
2Middle EnglishmanTypically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;...
3Old Englishmānbad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;...
4Sanskritमहादेव—
5Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
6Sanskritमहायान—
7Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
8Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
9Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →