Where does “dummy run” come from?
dummy run (English) comes from English dummy, from English dumb, from English damn, from Middle English dampnen, from Old French dampner, from Latin damnō, from Latin damnum, from Proto-Italic dapnom — to share, divide.
dummy run (English): A trial or practice before the real attempt
Definitions
- A trial or practice before the real attempt
Ancestry of “dummy run”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | dummy | A silent person; a person who does not talk; An... |
| 2 | English | dumb | Unable to speak; lacking power of speech; Silent;... |
| 3 | English | damn | To condemn to hell; To condemn; to declare... |
| 4 | Middle English | dampnen | to damn |
| 5 | Old French | dampner | to damn |
| 6 | Latin | damnō | — |
| 7 | Latin | damnum | damage or injury; loss; a fine |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | dapnom | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dh₂pnóm | expense, investment |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂p- | to sacrifice; to lose |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | deh₂- | to share, divide |