Where does “bookkeeper” come from?
Bookkeeper combines English book from Old English bōc, ultimately from Proto-Germanic būkaz and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning beech tree, with keeper from Old English cēpere.
bookkeeper (English): A person responsible for keeping records or...
Definitions
- A person responsible for keeping records or...
Ancestry of “bookkeeper”, step by step
bookkeeper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Book
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Book | the Bible |
| 2 | German | būch | book collection of sheets of paper bound together to hinge at one edge; long work fit for publication |
| 3 | Middle High German | buoch | — |
| 4 | Old High German | buoh | book |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bōk | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bakaną | to bake |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeh₃g- | to bake, to roast, to fry |