Where does “filibuster” come from?
Filibuster comes from Spanish filibustero, borrowed from French flibustier, derived from Dutch vrijbuiter, literally a "free booter," combining vrij (free) and -buiter (one who plunders), tracing back through Old Dutch frī to Proto-Indo-European wer-.
filibuster (English): A mercenary soldier; a freebooter;...
Definitions
- A mercenary soldier; a freebooter;...
Ancestry of “filibuster”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | filibustero | pirate, plunderer, freebooter |
| 2 | French | flibustier | A filibuster, a pirate |
| 3 | Dutch | vrijbuiter | A freebooter, particularly a pirate |
| 4 | Dutch | -er | Forms agent nouns from verbs; Forms nouns for a... |
| 5 | Old Dutch | -āri | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |