Where does “bootlegger” come from?
bootlegger (English) comes from English bootleg, from English boot, from French botte, from Italian botta, from Italian bottare, from French bouter, from Middle French bouter, from Old French bouter — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
bootlegger (English): An illegal trader of goods, especially of alcohol
Definitions
- An illegal trader of goods, especially of alcohol
Ancestry of “bootlegger”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bootleg | To make, transport and/or sell illegal alcoholic... |
| 2 | English | boot | A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg; A blow... |
| 3 | French | botte | boot; something resembling a boot; oppression |
| 4 | Italian | botta | blow, hit, shock, knock, attack |
| 5 | Italian | bottare | — |
| 6 | French | bouter | to push; to remove flesh from the skin of an... |
| 7 | Middle French | bouter | to pull |
| 8 | Old French | bouter | to strike; to hit; to place; to put; to enter |
| 9 | Frankish | bautan | to push, strike, beat; to hit, strike; to hit,... |
| 10 | Proto-West Germanic | bautan | to beat |
| 11 | Proto-Germanic | bautaną | to beat, push |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰewd- | to hit, strike; to beat, push; to strike, push,... |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |