Where does “crosshead” come from?
Crosshead comes from English cross and head, with head deriving from Middle English hēafod, Old English hēafod, and Proto-Germanic haubudą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.
crosshead (English): A metal beam that connects a piston to a...
Definitions
- A metal beam that connects a piston to a...
Ancestry of “crosshead”, step by step
crosshead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cross
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cross | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight... |
| 2 | French | croix | cross; a representation of a cross; the cross as... |
| 3 | German | Kreuz | cross; clubs; sharp |
| 4 | Spanish | Cruz | cross |
| 5 | Portuguese | cruz | cross |
| 6 | Italian | croce | cross |
| 7 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |