Where does “double-crosser” come from?
double-crosser (English) comes from English double-cross, from English cross, from French croix, from German Kreuz, from Spanish Cruz, from Portuguese cruz, from Italian croce, from Latin crux — to caw, crow.
double-crosser (English): One who double-crosses
Ancestry of “double-crosser”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | double-cross | To betray or go back on |
| 2 | English | cross | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight... |
| 3 | French | croix | cross; a representation of a cross; the cross as... |
| 4 | German | Kreuz | cross; clubs; sharp |
| 5 | Spanish | Cruz | — |
| 6 | Portuguese | cruz | cross |
| 7 | Italian | croce | cross |
| 8 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |