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
- In open sight; without trick, concealment, or...
Ancestry of “above-board”, step by step
above-board traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English board
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | board | A relatively long, wide and thin piece of any... |
| 2 | English | boardrider | surfer |
| 3 | English | rider | One who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;... |
| 4 | Middle English | ridere | Alternative form of ryder |
| 5 | Middle English | ryder | A rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A... |
| 6 | Old English | rīdere | rider, knight |
| 7 | Old English | rīdan | to ride |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | rīdan | to ride |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | rīdaną | to ride |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | rēydʰ- | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via English above
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | above | Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, said... |
| 2 | Middle English | aboven | above |
| 3 | Old English | ābufan | above |
| 4 | Old English | bufan | above |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *biobanā | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *obanā | from above |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | ubanē | from above |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | upp | up, upwards |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | ub | under |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | upó | under, below |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ewp- | — |