Where does “battery cage” come from?
battery cage (English) comes from English battery, from Middle French batterie, from Old French baterie, from Old French -ie, from Latin -ia, from Latin -ius, from Proto-Italic -jōs, from Proto-Indo-European -yós — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
battery cage (English): A small cage in which a hen is kept to lay eggs
Definitions
- A small cage in which a hen is kept to lay eggs
Ancestry of “battery cage”, step by step
battery cage traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English battery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | battery | A device used to power electric devices,... |
| 2 | Middle French | batterie | battery |
| 3 | Old French | baterie | action of beating |
| 4 | Old French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 5 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 6 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via English Cage
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Cage | An enclosure made of spaced bars, normally to hold animals while providing some ventilation |
| 2 | Middle English | cage | A cage or pen; A cell, enclosure or room of... |
| 3 | Old French | cage | — |
| 4 | Latin | cavea | hollow, cavity; cage, den, enclosure, stall,... |
| 5 | Latin | cavus | hollow, concave; excavated, channeled;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kawos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱowh₁ós | hollow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewh₁- | to swell; to be strong |