Where does “bluecoat” come from?

bluecoat (English) comes from English Blue, from Middle English blēwe, from Anglo-Norman blew, from Middle French bleu, from Old French blöe, from Latvian blāvus, from Old High German blāo, from Proto-West Germanic blāu — yellow, blond, grey.

bluecoat (English): A traditional dress code at certain prestigious...

Definitions

  1. A traditional dress code at certain prestigious...

Ancestry of “bluecoat”, step by step

bluecoat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Blue

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBlueA letterman at Oxford or Cambridge; A member of...
2Middle Englishblēwe
3Anglo-Normanblewblue
4Middle Frenchbleublue
5Old Frenchblöeblue
6Latvianblāvusaccusative plural masculine form of blāvs
7Old High Germanblāoblue, dark, grey; blue; yellow
8Proto-West Germanicblāublue
9Proto-Germanicblēwazblue; a dark bluish or grey colour, black
10Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰlēw-yellow, blond, grey

via English coat

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcoatAn outer garment covering the upper torso and...
2Middle EnglishcoteA coat, especially one worn as an undergarment or...
3Old Frenchcotteovershirt, tunic
4Frankishkottacoat
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰlēw-