Where does “bookselling” come from?
Bookselling is a derivative of book, which descends from Middle English booke, Old English bōc, Proto-Germanic būkaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots relating to beech wood used for writing surfaces.
bookselling (English): The sale of books
Ancestry of “bookselling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Book | — |
| 2 | German | būch | — |
| 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 |