Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “digger” come from?

Digger comes from English dig, which derives from Chinese 兒, Old French -er, Latin -are, Latin -are, Latin -arius, Proto-Indo-European dʰīgʷ-, and Proto-Italic -os.

digger (English): A large piece of machinery that digs holes or...

Definitions

  1. A large piece of machinery that digs holes or...

Ancestry of “digger”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
2Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
3Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
4Latin-āre—
5Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she

Words derived from “digger”

  • gravedigger
  • ditchdigger
  • clamdigger
  • welldigger
  • bonedigger
  • cratedigger
  • diggeress
Every word from Chichewa iye →