Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “baseboard” come from?

Baseboard comes from English back and English base, combining the sense of a board forming the back or base of a structure.

baseboard (English): A panel or molding between the floor and the...

Definitions

  1. A panel or molding between the floor and the...

Ancestry of “baseboard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboardA relatively long, wide and thin piece of any...
2Englishboardridersurfer
3EnglishriderOne who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;...
4Middle EnglishridereAlternative form of ryder
5Middle EnglishryderA rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A...
6Old Englishrīdererider, knight
7Old Englishrīdanto ride
8Proto-West Germanicrīdanto ride
9Proto-Germanicrīdanąto ride
10Proto-Indo-Europeanrēydʰ-—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- →