Where does “barroom” come from?
Barroom derives from English bar and room, where bar comes from French barre, from Ancient Greek βαρύς meaning heavy, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots related to weight and burden.
barroom (English): A room where alcoholic drinks are served over a...
Definitions
- A room where alcoholic drinks are served over a...
Ancestry of “barroom”, step by step
barroom traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Bar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Bar | A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length |
| 2 | German | bär | — |
| 3 | Middle High German | bër | bear |
| 4 | Old High German | beri | A berry |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | baʀi | berry |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bazją | berry |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂- | to shine, glow light; to speak, say |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₂-s-ri- | — |
via English room
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | room | Opportunity or scope; Space "for" something, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | roum | A space or area; A room |
| 3 | Old English | rūm | room, space; roomy, spacious, ample, extensive,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | rūm | roomy, spacious; room, open space |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rūmaz | roomy, spacious, open |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | rewh₁- | free space |