Where does “box” come from?
Box comes from Latin buxus, from Ancient Greek πύξος, a shrub whose hard wood was used to make containers.
box (English): Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or...
Definitions
- Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or...
Ancestry of “box”, step by step
box traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via French boxer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | boxer | boxer; boxer shorts, boxers; to box |
| 2 | French | -er | Forms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via Latin bōx
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | bōx | a kind of marine fish |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | βῶξ | box |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | βόαξ | bogue (Boops boops) small fish |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | βοῦς | cow, ox, cattle; shield: ὃτι ἐκ βοείων ἐστι... |
| 5 | Latin | corvus | A raven; a bird associated with prophecy and... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | korwos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱorh₂wós | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |