Where does “double-decker” come from?
double-decker (English) comes from English deck, from Middle English dekke, from Middle Dutch dec, from Middle Dutch decken, from Old Dutch thecken, from Proto-West Germanic þakkjan, from Proto-Germanic þakjaną, from Proto-Germanic þaką — to cover; pole, stick, beam.
double-decker (English): A vehicle (usually a bus, coach or train) or aircraft with two floors
Definitions
- A vehicle (usually a bus, coach or train) or aircraft with two floors
Ancestry of “double-decker”, step by step
double-decker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English deck
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | deck | Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a... |
| 2 | Middle English | dekke | — |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | dec | roof, covering |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | decken | to roof, to build/repair a roof; to cover; to... |
| 5 | Old Dutch | thecken | to cover; to roof |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | þakkjan | to cover; to burn |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | þakjaną | to cover; to burn |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | þaką | roof, cover |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)teg- | to cover; pole, stick, beam |