Where does “filename” come from?
Filename is a modern English compound of file and name, ultimately derived from Latin filius meaning son, though the semantic connection to the Latin root is unclear.
filename (English): The name assigned to a file in a file system
Definitions
- The name assigned to a file in a file system
Ancestry of “filename”, step by step
filename traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ñame
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ñame | Synonym of name |
| 2 | Middle English | name | name |
| 3 | Old English | nama | name; noun |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | namō | name |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | namô | name |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁nómn̥ | name |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃neh₃- | to name |
via English filé
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | filé | A spicy herb made from the dried and ground... |
| 2 | French | filé | past participle of filer; simple or twisted... |
| 3 | French | filer | to spin; to thread through; to spin a thread |
| 4 | Latin | fīlāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | fīlum | thread, string, filament, fiber |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | fī(s)lom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷʰiH-(s-)lo- | — |