Where does “floater” come from?
Floater derives from English float plus the agent suffix -er, ultimately from Latin -arius (one who performs an action) and Proto-Italic -os.
floater (English): Agent noun of float; one who or that which...
Definitions
- Agent noun of float; one who or that which...
Ancestry of “floater”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | float | Of an object or substance, to be supported by a... |
| 2 | Middle English | flote | Alternative form of floute; Something that... |
| 3 | Old French | flote | fleet |
| 4 | Old Norse | floti | fleet |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | flutô | A float; flotation device; A raft; boat; ship |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | plewd- | to fly, flow, run |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | plew- | to fly, flow, run |