Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “defenceman” come from?

defenceman (English) comes from English defence, from Middle English defens, from Old French defens, from Late Latin defensa, from Latin defensus, from Latin dēfendō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē — afterwards, post; by, at.

defenceman (English): In ice hockey and lacrosse, a player position...

Definitions

  1. In ice hockey and lacrosse, a player position...

Ancestry of “defenceman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdefenceThe action of defending, of protecting from...
2Middle Englishdefensthe act of defending
3Old Frenchdefens—
4Late Latindefensaprotection; bounded, defended; defence
5Latindefensusdriven away, having been driven away; defended,...
6Latindēfendō—
7Latindē-—
8Latindē—
9Latinpostbehind; after, since, besides, except; behind,...
10Latinposteablative singular of postis
11Proto-Italicposti—
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpósti—
13Proto-Indo-Europeanpósafterwards, post; by, at
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