Where does “escapement” come from?
Escapement derives from Middle English escapement, from Old French escapement, from Latin -mentum suffix added to Latin mens meaning mind, from Proto-Indo-European méntis and men-.
escapement (English): The contrivance in a timepiece which connects...
Definitions
- The contrivance in a timepiece which connects...
Ancestry of “escapement”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | escape | To get free; to free oneself |
| 2 | Middle English | escapen | — |
| 3 | Old French | escaper | Alternative form of eschaper |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | excappare | present active infinitive of *excappō;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |