Where does “foresail” come from?
Foresail comes from Middle English fore- combined with Middle English sail, ultimately from Old French salir and Latin salio meaning "to jump or leap."
foresail (English): The lowest square sail hung on the foremast; A...
Definitions
- The lowest square sail hung on the foremast; A...
Ancestry of “foresail”, step by step
foresail traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Fore
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Fore | A people of Papua New Guinea |
| 2 | German | Fahr | — |
| 3 | German | Fähre | ferry |
| 4 | Middle High German | verren | — |
| 5 | Old High German | ferrana | from afar |
| 6 | Old High German | ferro | afar; skipper |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | *ferrō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ferrai | far, distant |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per-nóy | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |