Where does “ballplayer” come from?
Ballplayer derives from English ball, which comes from Ancient Greek βάλλω meaning to throw.
ballplayer (English): Alternative form of ball player
Definitions
- Alternative form of ball player
Ancestry of “ballplayer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ball player | A player of a ball game; especially a basketball,... |
| 2 | English | Ball | surname |
| 3 | Middle English | bal | A ball; A rounded or spherical lump or bump,... |
| 4 | Old English | beall | ball |
| 5 | English | beal | A small inflammatory tumor; pustule; To gather... |
| 6 | Old English | hyll | hill |
| 7 | Albanian | hulli | furrow |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | hulliz | hill |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kl̥Hnís | hill |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kelH- | to rise, to be tall; hill |