Where does “bodywork” come from?

Bodywork comes from English body and work, where body derives from Middle English body, Old English wyrċan meaning to make or perform, Proto-Germanic wurkijaną, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European wreg-.

bodywork (English): The exterior body of a motor vehicle; The repair...

Definitions

  1. The exterior body of a motor vehicle; The repair...

Ancestry of “bodywork”, step by step

bodywork traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English work

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwork"Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to...
2Middle Englishwerkwork
3Old Englishweorcwork, in various senses, including
4Proto-West Germanicwerkwork
5Proto-Germanicwerkąwork
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwérǵomwork
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make

via English Body

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBodyCorpus Christi College, Cambridge
2Middle Englishbodemessenger
3Old Englishbodamessenger, envoy, herald, apostle, angel; prophet
4Proto-Germanicbudômessenger
5Proto-Germanicbeudanąto offer, to bid
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewdʰ-to be awake, be aware
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werǵ- →
bodywork — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer