Where does “backstroke” come from?
backstroke (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.
backstroke (English): A swimming stroke swum lying on one's back, while...
Definitions
- A swimming stroke swum lying on one's back, while...
Ancestry of “backstroke”, step by step
backstroke 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 stroke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stroke | An act of stroking; A blow or hit; A single... |
| 2 | Middle English | stroke | Any striking or hitting motion; The force of... |
| 3 | Middle English | strok | Alternative form of stroke; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old English | strāc | stroke |
| 5 | Scots | straik | A stroke, a blow; To stroke |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | straikaz | A stroke, line, dash |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | streyg- | to strike; to shear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |