Where does “coastwatcher” come from?

coastwatcher (English) comes from English coast, from Middle English coste, from Old French costé, from Latin costātus, from Latin costa, from Proto-Indo-European kost-.

coastwatcher (English): Any of the allied military intelligence...

Definitions

  1. Any of the allied military intelligence...

Ancestry of “coastwatcher”, step by step

coastwatcher traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English coast

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcoastThe edge of the land where it meets an ocean,...
2Middle Englishcoste—
3Old Frenchcostéside
4Latincostātusribbed
5Latincostaa rib; a side, a wall
6Proto-Indo-Europeankost-—

via English watcher

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwatcherSomeone who watches or observes; Someone who...
2Middle Englishwacchere—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kost- →