Where does “breakwater” come from?
Breakwater comes from English water and English water closet, tracing back through Old English brecan, Proto-West Germanic brekan, and Proto-Germanic watōr to Proto-Indo-European roots bʰreg-, bʰer-, and wed-.
breakwater (English): a construction in or around a harbour designed to...
Definitions
- a construction in or around a harbour designed to...
Ancestry of “breakwater”, step by step
breakwater traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English water
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | water | A substance found at room temperature and... |
| 2 | Middle English | water | water; water vapour, condensation; lake, pond,... |
| 3 | Old English | wæter | water |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | watar | water |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | watōr | water |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wódr̥ | water |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wed- | water |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wey- | to wither; fade; to move, go ahead; to be strong;... |