Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “above-board” come from?

above-board (English) comes from English board, from English boardrider, from English rider, from Middle English ridere, from Middle English ryder, from Old English rīdere, from Old English rīdan, from Proto-West Germanic rīdan — to fit, to fix, to put together.

above-board (English): In open sight; without trick, concealment, or...

Definitions

  1. In open sight; without trick, concealment, or...

Ancestry of “above-board”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboardA relatively long, wide and thin piece of any...
2Englishboardridersurfer
3EnglishriderOne who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;...
4Middle EnglishridereAlternative form of ryder
5Middle EnglishryderA rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A...
6Old Englishrīdererider, knight
7Old Englishrīdanto ride
8Proto-West Germanicrīdanto ride
9Proto-Germanicrīdanąto ride
10Proto-Indo-Europeanrēydʰ-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →