Where does “backcountry” come from?
Backcountry derives from English back and country, with country tracing through French pays, Old French contree, Old Swedish nattbakka, Latin bassus, Ancient Greek βάσις, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis meaning foundation or base.
backcountry (English): A remote region; the boondocks
Definitions
- A remote region; the boondocks
Ancestry of “backcountry”, step by step
backcountry traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English back
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | back | Near the rear; Not current; Far from the main... |
| 2 | French | bac | ferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A... |
| 3 | French | baccalauréat | baccalaureat; bachelor's degree |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | baccalaureatus | bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Latin | baccalaureus | bachelor |
| 6 | Latin | laurea | laurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of... |
| 7 | Latin | laurus | laurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel |
| 8 | English | -aceous | Of, relating to, resembling or containing the... |
| 9 | Latin | -āceus | aceous; resembling, having the nature of, forming, belonging to |
| 10 | Latin | -āx | ish, -y |
| 11 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 12 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via English country
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | country | An area of land; a district, region; A set region... |
| 2 | Middle English | contre | region, area; A political division, including;... |
| 3 | Old French | contree | country; the countryside |
| 4 | Latin | contrata | lying opposite; spread before |
| 5 | Latin | contra | against; opposite to; contrary to |
| 6 | Latin | rota | wheel; a car, a chariot; the disc of the sun |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | rotā | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hróth₂-eh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreth₂- | to run |