Where does “ditchdigger” come from?
ditchdigger (English) comes from English ditch, from Middle English dich, from Old English dīċ, from Old English burna, from Proto-West Germanic brunnō, from Proto-Germanic brunnô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰréh₁wr̥, from Proto-Indo-European bʰrewh₁- — to bear, carry.
ditchdigger (English): One who digs ditches
Definitions
- One who digs ditches
Ancestry of “ditchdigger”, step by step
ditchdigger traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ditch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ditch | A trench; a long, shallow indentation, as for... |
| 2 | Middle English | dich | — |
| 3 | Old English | dīċ | trench, moat |
| 4 | Old English | burna | stream |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | brunnō | well, spring |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | brunnô | source; wellspring; fountain; brook; stream;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰréh₁wr̥ | well, spring, source |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰrewh₁- | to boil; to brew |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰer- | to bear, carry |
via English Digger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Digger | A soldier from Australia or New Zealand; One of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | dyggar | digger |
| 3 | Middle English | -ere | er |
| 4 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |