Where does “desk potato” come from?
desk potato (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 potato (English): A person who spends a lot of time sitting at a...
Definitions
- A person who spends a lot of time sitting at a...
Ancestry of “desk potato”, step by step
desk potato traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English desk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | desk | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries... |
| 2 | Middle English | deske | Alternative form of dosk |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | desca | — |
| 4 | Old Italian | desco | — |
| 5 | Latin | discus | a discus, quoit; a dish shaped like a discus;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | diskō | learn |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | dikskō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | di-dḱ-ské-ti | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | deḱ- | take; perceive |