Where does “cupbearer” come from?
Cupbearer comes from English cup and bearer, with cup deriving from Middle English coppe, Old English coppe, Proto-Germanic kuppaz, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European roots related to grasping or holding.
cupbearer (English): One who ceremonially fills and hands out the cups...
Definitions
- One who ceremonially fills and hands out the cups...
Ancestry of “cupbearer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Cup | A win of a championship that is awarded a cup; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | cuppe | cup |
| 3 | Old English | cuppe | cup |
| 4 | Late Latin | cuppa | drinking vessel; barrel, cask; axle |
| 5 | Latin | cūpa | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κώπη | a handle |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kóh₂p-eh₂ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |