Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “footman” come from?

Footman comes from Middle English foteman, combining Middle English man or mon (from Proto-Germanic fōts and Proto-Indo-European pṓds meaning "foot") with Proto-Indo-European men- and ped-.

footman (English): A soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot...

Definitions

  1. A soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot...

Ancestry of “footman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfotmanAlternative form of foteman; foot soldier,...
2Middle EnglishmanTypically singular, indefinite pronoun: one, you;...
3Old Englishmānbad, criminal, false; shameful act; crime;...
4Sanskritमहादेव—
5Sanskritमहाcombining form of महत्; buffalo; great, large,...
6Sanskritमहायान—
7Sanskritयानcarriage, vehicle, mode of transport; moving,...
8Proto-Indo-AryanyáHnam—
9Proto-Indo-IranianyáHnam—
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyéh₂-nom—
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyeh₂-to go; to go in, enter; to ride, to travel

Words derived from “footman”

  • footmanship
  • footmanly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European yeh₂- →