Where does “briefcase” come from?
briefcase (English) comes from English Case, from German Käse, from Middle High German kæse, from Old High German kāsi, from Proto-West Germanic kāsī, from Proto-Germanic kāsijaz, from Latin cāseus, from Proto-Indo-European kwat- — to ferment, become sour; to boil.
briefcase (English): A case used for carrying documents, especially...
Definitions
- A case used for carrying documents, especially...
Ancestry of “briefcase”, step by step
briefcase traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Case
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Case | abstract feature of a noun phrase that determines... |
| 2 | German | Käse | cheese; nonsense |
| 3 | Middle High German | kæse | cheese |
| 4 | Old High German | kāsi | cheese |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | kāsī | cheese |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kāsijaz | cheese |
| 7 | Latin | cāseus | cheese |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kwat- | to ferment, become sour; to boil |
via English brief
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | brief | Of short duration; happening quickly; Concise;... |
| 2 | Middle English | bref | concise; brief; diminutive, little |
| 3 | Old French | brief | brief, short in length; letter or statement |
| 4 | Latin | brevis | short, small, little, narrow; brief, short;... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *breɣʷis | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mréǵʰus | short; brief |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mreǵʰ- | short |