Where does “caretaker” come from?
Caretaker is a compound of care, from Old English caru, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ǵeh₂r-, meaning to cry out or lament, plus taker.
caretaker (English): Someone who takes care of a place or thing;...
Definitions
- Someone who takes care of a place or thing;...
Ancestry of “caretaker”, step by step
caretaker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English care
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | care | Grief, sorrow; Close attention; concern;... |
| 2 | Middle English | care | grief; sorrow |
| 3 | Old English | caru | worry, anxiety, care; sorrow, grief |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | karu | care, worry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | karō | complaint, lament, grievance, moan; worry,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵeh₂r- | to shout, cry; exclamation; voice; to call, cry |