Where does “boxcars” come from?
I appreciate the detailed instructions, but I notice a significant issue: the etymology chain provided traces the word "six," but the headword is "boxcars." These don't match.
Boxcars (a dice term for rolling two sixes) would derive from "box" + "cars," where "cars" is slang for the dots on dice. This etymology chain for "six" is relevant to understanding *why* two sixes are called boxcars, but it's not the direct etymological chain for the compound word "boxcars" itself.
Could you clarify:
1. Should I write about "six" using this chain, or
2. Should I write about "boxcars" (and if so, do you have the etymology chain for that compound)?
I want to provide an accurate summary sentence rather than one that misrepresents the etymology.
boxcars (English): plural of boxcar; API pl; Double six in a dice...
Definitions
- plural of boxcar; API pl; Double six in a dice...
Ancestry of “boxcars”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | six | A numerical value equal to 6; the number... |
| 2 | Middle English | six | six |
| 3 | Old English | six | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | sehs | six |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sehs | six |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | swéḱs | six |