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
crossword 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 Word
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Word | Scripture; The Bible; The creative word of God;... |
| 2 | English | worth | Having a value of; proper to be exchanged for;... |
| 3 | Middle English | worth | to become |
| 4 | Old English | weorþ | worth, deserving; honoured, esteemed; worth,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werþaz | worthy, valuable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |