Where does “dash” come from?
Dash comes from Middle English daschen, from Danish daske, though the original meaning is uncertain.
dash (English): "Any of the following symbols:" ‒ , – , — , or ―;...
Definitions
- "Any of the following symbols:" ‒ , – , — , or ―;...
Ancestry of “dash”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | daschen | To hit with a weapon and cause damage; to land a... |
| 2 | Danish | daske | to slap, strike |
| 3 | Serbo-Croatian | dàska | — |
| 4 | Proto-Slavic | dъska | board, plank |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | diskuz | table; dish; bowl |
| 6 | Latin | discus | a discus, quoit; a dish shaped like a discus;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | diskō | learn |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | dikskō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | di-dḱ-ské-ti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |
Words derived from “dash”