Where does “bowerwoman” come from?
bowerwoman (English) comes from English bower, from German bauer, from German bauen, from Middle High German būwen, from Old High German būan, from Proto-West Germanic *būan, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
bowerwoman (English): A female servant who waits upon a lady in her...
Definitions
- A female servant who waits upon a lady in her...
Ancestry of “bowerwoman”, step by step
bowerwoman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bower
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bower | A bedroom or private apartments, especially for a... |
| 2 | German | bauer | farmer male or of unspecified gender |
| 3 | German | bauen | to build; to construct; to roll a joint; to rely |
| 4 | Middle High German | būwen | to build |
| 5 | Old High German | būan | to build |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | *būan | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |
via English woman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 3 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 4 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |