Where does “backstay” come from?
backstay (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.
backstay (English): A part of the rigging of a sailing ship extending...
Definitions
- A part of the rigging of a sailing ship extending...
Ancestry of “backstay”, step by step
backstay 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 stay
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stay | To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady; To... |
| 2 | Middle English | stay | A stay |
| 3 | Old French | estaye | prop, support |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | staeye | a prop, stay |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | staede | — |
| 6 | Old Dutch | stad | a site, place, location, standing |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |