Where does “downsizing” come from?
Downsizing comes from English downsize, formed from English down and English size, with the gerund suffix English -ing ultimately deriving from Old English -ung, while down traces to Old English adūne and ofdūne, compounds of Old English of.
downsizing (English): present participle of downsize; An act in which a...
Definitions
- present participle of downsize; An act in which a...
Ancestry of “downsizing”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | downsize | To reduce in size or number; To reduce the... |
| 2 | English | down- | decrease; lower position or direction, literally... |
| 3 | Middle English | down- | — |
| 4 | Old English | dūne- | down- |
| 5 | Old English | dūne | hill; down, downward |
| 6 | Old English | adūne | — |
| 7 | Old English | ofdūne | off the hill; down |
| 8 | Old English | dūn | hill, down; hill, dune; hill, mountain |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *dūnā | — |
| 10 | Proto-Celtic | dūnom | stronghold, rampart |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰewh₂- | smoke; mist, haze |