Where does “clinker” come from?
Clinker derives from English clink, which comes from English clinch, which comes from English clench, ultimately from Latin roots in -are and -arius.
clinker (English): A very hard brick used for paving customarily...
Definitions
- A very hard brick used for paving customarily...
Ancestry of “clinker”, step by step
clinker traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English clincher
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clincher | That which clinches; that which makes something... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English clink
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | clink | The sound of metal on metal, or glass on glass;... |
| 2 | Middle English | clinken | — |
| 3 | Old English | clincan | — |
via Dutch klinkaerd
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | klinkaerd | — |