Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “beaker” come from?

Beaker comes from Middle English biker, from Old Norse bikarr, from Old Saxon bikeri, a word of uncertain ultimate origin.

beaker (English): A flat-bottomed vessel, with a lip, used as a...

Definitions

  1. A flat-bottomed vessel, with a lip, used as a...

Ancestry of “beaker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishbekyr—
2Old Norsebikarrcup; large cup, beaker
3Old Saxonbikericup
4Latinbīcārium—
5Ancient Greekβῖκοςvase with handles, amphora; land measure of...
6Latinvīcus—
7Proto-Italicweikos—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanweyḱ-to enter in; to settle; settlement
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwey-to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;...

Words derived from “beaker”

  • beakerful
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wey- →