Where does “airsoft” come from?

airsoft (English) comes from English soft, from Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte, from Proto-West Germanic samftō, from Proto-West Germanic -ō, from Proto-Germanic -ô, from Proto-Indo-European -ō — Derives nouns from roots.

airsoft (English): A modern combat sport in which participants...

Definitions

  1. A modern combat sport in which participants...

Ancestry of “airsoft”, step by step

airsoft traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English soft

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsoftEasily giving way under pressure; Smooth and...
2Middle Englishsoftesoft
3Old Englishsōftesoftly
4Proto-West Germanicsamftōsoftly, gently
5Proto-West Germanic-ōCreates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent...
6Proto-Germanic-ô-ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade...
7Proto-Indo-European-ōDerives nouns from roots

via English aïr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishaïr—
2Middle Englishaireair
3Old Frenchairair mixture of gases that make up the earth's atmosphere
4Latināērair
5Ancient Greekἀήρmist; air; wind
6Ancient Greekauhḗr—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ō →Every word from Proto-Germanic -ô →Every word from Proto-West Germanic -ō →