Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “flatboat” come from?

Flatboat derives from English flat and boat, with boat tracing through Middle English boot and Old English bāt to Latin buttis and Proto-Indo-European bʰeyd-.

flatboat (English): A boxy, flat-bottomed boat used for carrying...

Definitions

  1. A boxy, flat-bottomed boat used for carrying...

Ancestry of “flatboat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishflatHaving no variations in height; Without...
2Scotsfletinner part of a house
3Middle Englishfletthe floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,...
4Old Englishfletthe floor, ground; a dwelling, habitation, house,...
5Proto-Germanicflatjąa level surface; level ground; the floor of a...
6Proto-Germanicflatazflat
7Proto-Indo-EuropeanplÁt-—

Words derived from “flatboat”

  • flatboater
Every word from Proto-Indo-European plÁt- →