Where does “footwork” come from?

Footwork is a compound of foot and work, with foot deriving from Old English fōt, itself from Proto-Indo-European pṓds meaning foot or base.

footwork (English): Any movement of the feet, especially intricate or...

Definitions

  1. Any movement of the feet, especially intricate or...

Ancestry of “footwork”, step by step

footwork traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English foot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfootA biological structure found in many animals that...
2Middle Englishfotfoot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of...
3Old Englishfōtfoot
4Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
5Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpódsfoot
8Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall

via English work

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishwork"Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to...
2Middle Englishwerkwork
3Old Englishweorcwork, in various senses, including
4Proto-West Germanicwerkwork
5Proto-Germanicwerkąwork
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwérǵomwork
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerǵ-to make

Words derived from “footwork”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →