Where does “drummer” come from?
Drummer comes from English drum, from Middle Dutch trommel, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European slak-, meaning to strike or hit.
drummer (English): One who plays the drums; travelling salesman; A...
Definitions
- One who plays the drums; travelling salesman; A...
Ancestry of “drummer”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | drum | A percussive musical instrument spanned with a... |
| 2 | English | drumslade | A drum; A drummer |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | trommelslach | drumbeat |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | slach | beat |
| 5 | Old Dutch | slag | setback, misfortune |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | slagi | blow, strike |
| 7 | Swedish | slagg | slag metallurgical waste material |
| 8 | Low German | slagge | — |
| 9 | Middle Low German | slagge | — |
| 10 | Middle Low German | slān | to hit, strike |
| 11 | Old Saxon | slāhan | to hit |
| 12 | Proto-West Germanic | slahan | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 13 | Proto-Germanic | slahaną | to hit, to strike; to kill |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | slak- | to hit; strike; to hit, strike, throw; to hit,... |