Where does “bullpen” come from?
Bullpen comes from English bull and pen, with bull descending through Middle English and Old English from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, meaning to swell.
bullpen (English): An enclosed area used to hold bulls; An enclosed...
Definitions
- An enclosed area used to hold bulls; An enclosed...
Ancestry of “bullpen”, step by step
bullpen traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pen | An enclosure used to contain domesticated... |
| 2 | English | penetration | The act of penetrating something; Specifically,... |
| 3 | Middle English | penetracioun | — |
| 4 | Old French | penetracïon | penetration (act, instance of penetrating) |
| 5 | Latin | penetrātiō | piercing, penetration |
| 6 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 7 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 8 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 9 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 10 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 11 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 12 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |