Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “backpacker” come from?

Backpacker derives from English back and pack, with pack tracing to French bac, Latin -arius, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European gʷémtis meaning "step" or "stride."

backpacker (English): A traveler whose luggage consists of a backpack;...

Definitions

  1. A traveler whose luggage consists of a backpack;...

Ancestry of “backpacker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbackpackA knapsack, sometimes mounted on a light frame,...
2EnglishpackA bundle made up and prepared to be carried;...
3Middle EnglishpakkenTo pack; to put into a pack or container; To...
4Middle English-enDenotes the past participle form when attached to...
5Old English-enmæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;...
6Old Norse-innUsed to create adjectives from nouns, meaning...
7Proto-Norse-īna-—
8Proto-Germanic-īnaz-en
9Proto-Indo-European-iHnosCreates adjectives of materials
10Proto-Indo-European-no-adjectival suffix
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -no- →