Where does “cupful” come from?
Cupful comes from Middle English copful, meaning a cup's capacity or contents.
cupful (English): The amount necessary to make a cup full; A half...
Definitions
- The amount necessary to make a cup full; A half...
Ancestry of “cupful”, 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,... |