Where does “crossword” come from?
I can't write this etymology because the chain provided doesn't support "crossword" as a derivative. The chain traces from "worth" (Proto-Germanic wurdą) and "cros" (Old Irish) back through Latin crux and PIE roots, but these elements don't combine to form "crossword" in English. A valid etymology would need to show how "cross" + "word" developed, which this chain doesn't do.
If you have the correct etymological chain for "crossword," I'd be happy to write the summary.
crossword (English): A word puzzle in which interlocking words are...
Definitions
- A word puzzle in which interlocking words are...
Ancestry of “crossword”, step by step
| 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 | — |
| 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 |
Words derived from “crossword”