Where does “crosswalk” come from?
Crosswalk comes from English cross and walk, with cross deriving from Middle English and Old English through Proto-Germanic and Latin crux, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sker- meaning to cut or separate.
crosswalk (English): A point designated for pedestrians to cross a...
Definitions
- A point designated for pedestrians to cross a...
Ancestry of “crosswalk”, step by step
crosswalk 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 |