Where does “bytecode” come from?
Bytecode comes from English byte and English code, ultimately tracing through Latin caudex and Latin cubare to Proto-Indo-European roots gʷet- and bʰeyd-.
bytecode (English): P-code
Definitions
- P-code
Ancestry of “bytecode”, step by step
bytecode traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English byte
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | byte | A short sequence of bits that can be operated on... |
| 2 | English | bite | To cut into something by clamping the teeth; To... |
| 3 | Middle English | biten | to bite |
| 4 | Old English | betēon | to cover, surround, enclose; to cover, surround,... |
| 5 | Old English | tēon | to drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to... |
| 6 | Old English | tēohan | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | teuhan | to pull; to lead |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | teuhaną | to lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |
via English code
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | code | A short symbol, often with little relation to the... |
| 2 | Middle English | code | Any kind of plant gum; a gummy or resinous... |
| 3 | Old English | codd | bag; sack; husk |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | kuddô | bag; pod; sack; purse |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | gewt- | sack; pouch; pouch, sack |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |