Where does “breadwinning” come from?
breadwinning (English) comes from English winning, from English win, from English wind, from English farm, from Middle English ferme, from Old French ferme, from Medieval Latin ferma, from Latin Firma — to support; to hold.
breadwinning (English): The earning of a household's primary income
Definitions
- The earning of a household's primary income
Ancestry of “breadwinning”, step by step
breadwinning traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English winning
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | winning | present participle of win; That constitutes a... |
| 2 | English | win | To conquer, defeat; To reach some destination or... |
| 3 | English | wind | Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air... |
| 4 | English | farm | A place where agricultural and similar activities... |
| 5 | Middle English | ferme | A lease; the renting of land |
| 6 | Old French | ferme | lease; the land leased; farm |
| 7 | Medieval Latin | ferma | Alternative form of firma |
| 8 | Latin | Firma | tax, tribute |
| 9 | Latin | Firmus | strong, powerful |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | fermos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer-mo-s | holding |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English bread
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bread | A foodstuff made by baking dough made from... |
| 2 | Middle English | bred | bread, pastry; food, nourishment |
| 3 | Old English | bred | surface; plank, board; table, tablet |
| 4 | West Germanic | *bred | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bredą | board, plank, shelf |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | bʰredʰóm | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer-dʰ- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |