Where does “Westchester” come from?
Westchester (English) comes from English Chester, from English molester, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
Ancestry of “Westchester”, step by step
Westchester traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Chester
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Chester | A child molester |
| 2 | English | molester | Agent noun of molest: one who molests;... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English West
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | West | Any of various particular regions named for the cardinal direction in which they lie |
| 2 | Middle English | west | west; A location to the south; the south; The... |
| 3 | Old English | west | west |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *westr | western, westernly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | westrą | west; west, westward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | westraz | west, western |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wek(ʷ)speros | evening |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | we- | — |