Where does “desk jockey” come from?

desk jockey (English) comes from English desk, from Middle English deske, from Medieval Latin desca, from Old Italian desco, from Latin discus, from Proto-Italic diskō, from Proto-Italic dikskō, from Proto-Indo-European di-dḱ-ské-ti — take; perceive.

desk jockey (English): One who spends his or her time seated at a desk;...

Definitions

  1. One who spends his or her time seated at a desk;...

Ancestry of “desk jockey”, step by step

desk jockey traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English desk

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdeskA table, frame, or case, in past centuries...
2Middle EnglishdeskeAlternative form of dosk
3Medieval Latindesca
4Old Italiandesco
5Latindiscusa discus, quoit; a dish shaped like a discus;...
6Proto-Italicdiskōlearn
7Proto-Italicdikskō
8Proto-Indo-Europeandi-dḱ-ské-ti
9Proto-Indo-Europeandeḱ-take; perceive

via English disc jockey

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishdisc jockeyA person who conducts a radio program of recorded...
2EnglishdiscA thin, flat, circular plate or similar object;...
3Frenchdisquedisc
Every word from Proto-Indo-European deḱ-
desk jockey — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer