Where does “dropper” come from?
Dropper comes from English drop plus the suffix -er, which derives from Old French -er, from Latin -āre (infinitive marker), ultimately from Proto-Italic -os.
dropper (English): A utensil for dispensing a single drop of liquid...
Definitions
- A utensil for dispensing a single drop of liquid...
Ancestry of “dropper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | drop | A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to... |
| 2 | Middle English | droppen | To drip; to fall in drops |
| 3 | Old English | dropian | to drop |
| 4 | Old English | -ian | Forms verbs from nouns and adjectives |
| 5 | Old English | -ōjan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | -ōn | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -ōną | Creates denominative verbs from nouns; Creates... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |