Where does “equipment” come from?
Equipment comes from French équipement, derived from Old French équiper with the suffix -ment, ultimately from Latin mentum and mens meaning mind, rooted in Proto-Indo-European méntis and men-.
equipment (English): The act of equipping, or the state of being...
Definitions
- The act of equipping, or the state of being...
Ancestry of “equipment”, step by step
equipment traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English equip
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | equip | To supply with something necessary in order to... |
| 2 | French | équiper | to supply; to equip |
| 3 | Middle French | esquiper | to equip |
| 4 | Old French | esquiper | to embark |
| 5 | Old Norse | skipa | to arrange, to place in order, to draw up; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | skipōną | to arrange, set up; to ship, embark |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skipą | ship; hollow object |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱēy- | to shine; to shimmer; shadow; luster, gloss,... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | skaidą | separation, distinction |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | skÁit- | to cut, part, spearate, divide; to cut, part,... |
via French équipement
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | équipement | equipment, kit, provision; equipping |
| 2 | French | -ment | Attaches to an adjective in the feminine singular to form the corresponding adverb |
| 3 | Middle French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 4 | Old French | -ment | Used to form adverbs, most of the time equivalent... |
| 5 | Latin | -mentum | instrument, medium, or result of; e.g.... |
| 6 | Latin | -menta | nominative plural of -mentum; accusative plural... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |