Where does “can-eater” come from?

can-eater (English) comes from English eater, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti — he, she.

can-eater (English): An Australian person

Definitions

  1. An Australian person

Ancestry of “can-eater”, step by step

can-eater traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English eater

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglisheaterOne who eats; An eating apple; One who performs...
2English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
3Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
4Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
5Latin-ārefirst conjugation
6Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
8Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
10Chichewaiyehe, she

via English can

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcanTo know how to; to be able to; May; to be...
2Spanishcandog, hound
3LatinCanisa dog, a hound animal
4Ancient Greekδρόμοςrace, running; racetrack; course, path
5Ancient Greek-όςForms agentive or patientive adjectives and nouns from the o-grade of a verbal root
6Proto-Hellenic*-os
7Proto-Indo-European-ósCreates agent nouns from verb stems, denoting...
Every word from Chichewa iye
can-eater — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer