Where does “backstairs” come from?
backstairs (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.
backstairs (English): A staircase at the rear of a building or one...
Definitions
- A staircase at the rear of a building or one...
Ancestry of “backstairs”, step by step
backstairs 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 stairs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stairs | plural of stair; API pl; A contiguous set of... |
| 2 | English | stair | A single step in a staircase; A series of steps;... |
| 3 | Middle English | steire | staircase, stairs; stair, step; ladder |
| 4 | Old English | stǣġer | stair, staircase |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | staigriz | scaffold, platform; stairs |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | steyǵʰ- | to go |