Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “apprenticeship” come from?

Apprenticeship comes from Middle English -schipe and Old English -scipe, suffixes derived from Proto-Germanic -skapiz and skapjaną, ultimately from Latin apprehendere meaning to seize or grasp, with the suffix denoting a state or condition of learning a craft.

apprenticeship (English): The condition of, or the time served by, an...

Definitions

  1. The condition of, or the time served by, an...

Ancestry of “apprenticeship”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishapprenticeA trainee, especially in a skilled trade; One who...
2Middle Englishapprentice—
3Old Frenchaprentisapprentice
4Old Frenchaprendreto learn; to teach; to educate
5Latinapprenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
6Latinapprehenderethird-person plural perfect active indicative of...
7Latinprehendō—
8Proto-Italic*praiɣendō—
9Proto-Italicprai-—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpreh₂-before, in front
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “apprenticeship”

  • pre-apprenticeship
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →