Where does “ferrywoman” come from?
ferrywoman (English) comes from English woman, from Middle English womman, from Old English wīfmann, from Old English mann, from Proto-West Germanic mann, from Proto-Germanic *mann-, from Proto-Indo-European men- — to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,...
ferrywoman (English): A woman who operates a ferry
Definitions
- A woman who operates a ferry
Ancestry of “ferrywoman”, step by step
ferrywoman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English woman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 3 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 4 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |
via English ferry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ferry | To carry; transport; convey; To move someone or... |
| 2 | Middle English | ferien | to carry, convey, convey in a boat |
| 3 | Old English | ferian | to take, move, carry; to direct the course of;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | farjan | to take somewhere, to carry, to ferry |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | farjaną | to take somewhere, to carry, to ferry |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |