Where does “double-track” come from?

double-track (English) comes from English track, from Middle English trak, from Old French trac, from Middle Dutch treck, from Old Dutch trecken, from Proto-West Germanic *trakkjan, from Proto-Germanic trakjaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą — he, she.

double-track (English): Having a pair of tracks in order to allow trains to pass in opposite directions

Definitions

  1. Having a pair of tracks in order to allow trains to pass in opposite directions

Ancestry of “double-track”, step by step

double-track traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English track

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtrackA mark left by something that has passed along; A...
2Middle Englishtrak
3Old Frenchtractrack of horses, trail, trace; track; a track,...
4Middle Dutchtreck
5Old Dutchtrecken
6Proto-West Germanic*trakkjanto drag
7Proto-Germanictrakjanąto drag
8Proto-Germanic-janąDerives denominatives from nouns and factitives...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
11Chichewaiyehe, she

via English doublé

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdoubléA compound attack that deceives the opponent's...
2Frenchdoublédouble, brace, pair; double; doublé
3Middle Frenchdouble
4Old Frenchdobledouble
5Latindūplusdouble (twice as much, or as big)
6Proto-Italic*duplosdouble
Every word from Chichewa iye
double-track — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer