Where does “fingerprint” come from?
Fingerprint combines English finger, from Middle English and Old English finger, from Proto-Germanic fingraz and Proto-Indo-European pénkʷrós meaning "finger," with English print, from Middle English prenten.
fingerprint (English): The natural pattern of ridges on the tips of...
Definitions
- The natural pattern of ridges on the tips of...
Ancestry of “fingerprint”, step by step
fingerprint traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English print
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Of, relating to, or writing for printed... | |
| 2 | Middle English | printen | — |
| 3 | Middle English | emprinten | — |
| 4 | Old French | empreinter | — |
| 5 | Old French | empreindre | — |
| 6 | Latin | imprimere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 7 | Latin | imprimo | I press, impress; I print, imprint, stamp |
| 8 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 9 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 10 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English finger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | finger | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other animals |
| 2 | German | Finger | finger |
| 3 | Middle High German | vinger | finger |
| 4 | Old High German | fingar | finger |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fingr | finger |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fingraz | finger |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | penkʷrós | — |