Where does “caveman” come from?
Caveman combines English cave, from Latin cavus meaning hollow, and English man, from Proto-Indo-European men- meaning to think or project.
caveman (English): An early human or closely related species,...
Definitions
- An early human or closely related species,...
Ancestry of “caveman”, step by step
caveman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |
via English cave
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cave | A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed... |
| 2 | Middle English | cave | A cave or cavern |
| 3 | Old French | cave | — |
| 4 | Latin | cava | nominative feminine singular of cavus; nominative... |
| 5 | Latin | cavus | hollow, concave; excavated, channeled;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kawos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱowh₁ós | hollow |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewh₁- | to swell; to be strong |