Where does “flintlock” come from?
Flintlock comes from English flint and lock, with lock deriving from Middle English lok, Proto-Germanic luką, and ultimately Proto-Indo-European (s)plei-, meaning to split or bend.
flintlock (English): An early type of firearm, using a spring-loaded...
Definitions
- An early type of firearm, using a spring-loaded...
Ancestry of “flintlock”, step by step
flintlock traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Flint
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Flint | A placename |
| 2 | Middle English | flynt | Any of a group of solid stones, especially... |
| 3 | Old English | flint | flint |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *flint | peddle |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flintaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | splind- | to split, cleave; split |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)plei- | to split, splice; to divide, split, splice |