Where does “boot camp” come from?
boot camp (English) comes from English boot, from French botte, from Italian botta, from Italian bottare, from French bouter, from Middle French bouter, from Old French bouter, from Frankish bautan — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
boot camp (English): An initial, basic indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for new recruits in the armed forces (army, Air Force, navy and Marine Corps)
Definitions
- An initial, basic indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for new recruits in the armed forces (army, Air Force, navy and Marine Corps)
Ancestry of “boot camp”, step by step
boot camp traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English boot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boot | A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg; A blow... |
| 2 | French | botte | boot; something resembling a boot; oppression |
| 3 | Italian | botta | blow, hit, shock, knock, attack |
| 4 | Italian | bottare | — |
| 5 | French | bouter | to push; to remove flesh from the skin of an... |
| 6 | Middle French | bouter | to pull |
| 7 | Old French | bouter | to strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter |
| 8 | Frankish | bautan | to push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,... |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | bautan | to beat |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |
via English camp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | camp | An outdoor place acting as temporary... |
| 2 | Middle English | kampe | An armed military conflict; a clash; A... |
| 3 | Old English | camp | combat; an enclosed piece of land |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | kamp | field; battle |
| 5 | Latin | campus | Open flat level ground: a plain, a natural field;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂emp- | to bend; crooked; to bend, curve |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂em- | to bend, to curve |