Where does “fanboy” come from?
fanboy (English) comes from English Fan, from English fanatic, from French fanatique, from Latin fānāticus, from Latin -aticus, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic -ātos, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos — Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality.
fanboy (English): A male fan who is obsessive about a particular...
Definitions
- A male fan who is obsessive about a particular...
Ancestry of “fanboy”, step by step
fanboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fan
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fan | A diminutive of Frances |
| 2 | English | fanatic | Fanatical; Showing evidence of possession by a... |
| 3 | French | fanatique | fanatic, fanatical; fanatic |
| 4 | Latin | fānāticus | temple |
| 5 | Latin | -aticus | Used to form adjectives indicating a relation to... |
| 6 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |