Where does “backhoe” come from?
Backhoe comes from English back and English whore, which derive from Old English hū, Old Swedish nattbakka, Latin bassus, Ancient Greek βάσις, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis meaning step or foundation.
backhoe (English): A piece of excavating equipment consisting of a...
Definitions
- A piece of excavating equipment consisting of a...
Ancestry of “backhoe”, step by step
backhoe 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 hoe
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hoe | An agricultural tool consisting of a long handle... |
| 2 | Middle English | howe | mattock, pickaxe |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | houe | hoe |
| 4 | Frankish | hauwā | hoe, mattock |
| 5 | Frankish | hauwan | to hew; to chop; to hew, to chop |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hawwaną | to hew, to chop; to forge |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | sukkos | pig (snout) |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | suH- | pig, hog, swine |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sewH- | to bear; to give birth |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sew- | to press out, extract; juice; liquid, rain; to... |