Where does “bellhanger” come from?
bellhanger (English) comes from English hanger, from English Hang, from English dang, from English damn, from Middle English dampnen, from Old French dampner, from Latin damnō, from Latin damnum — to share, divide.
bellhanger (English): A person employed to hang bells, as in a church or (historically) in a house to ring for servants
Definitions
- A person employed to hang bells, as in a church or (historically) in a house to ring for servants
Ancestry of “bellhanger”, step by step
bellhanger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hanger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hanger | One who hangs, or causes to be hanged; a hangman,... |
| 2 | English | Hang | Name and trademark of a musical instrument... |
| 3 | English | dang | Damn; A damn, a negligible quantity, minimal... |
| 4 | English | damn | To condemn to hell; To condemn; to declare... |
| 5 | Middle English | dampnen | to damn |
| 6 | Old French | dampner | to damn |
| 7 | Latin | damnō | to discredit, find fault, disapprove, reject |
| 8 | Latin | damnum | damage or injury; loss; a fine |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | dapnom | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dh₂pnóm | expense, investment |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |