Where does “backspace” come from?
backspace (English) comes from English back, from French bac, from French baccalauréat, from Medieval Latin baccalaureatus, from Latin baccalaureus, from Latin laurea, from Latin laurus, from English -aceous — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
backspace (English): The key on a typewriter that moves the head one...
Definitions
- The key on a typewriter that moves the head one...
Ancestry of “backspace”, step by step
backspace 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 space
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | space | "Of time."; "Unlimited or generalized extent,... |
| 2 | Middle English | space | — |
| 3 | Old French | espace | space; room; duration |
| 4 | Latin | spatium | Space, room, extent; Distance between points; A... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |