Where does “forklift” come from?
Forklift is a compound of fork and lift, where lift derives from Old Norse lypta, from Proto-Germanic luftijaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European lew-, meaning to break or separate.
forklift (English): A small industrial vehicle with a power-operated...
Definitions
- A small industrial vehicle with a power-operated...
Ancestry of “forklift”, step by step
forklift traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lift
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lift | To raise or rise; To steal; To source directly... |
| 2 | Middle English | lifte | — |
| 3 | Old English | lyft | air, atmosphere; the sky |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | luftu | roof; air |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | luftuz | roof; roof of the earth, firmament; heavens, sky;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewp- | peel, break off; to flake off, peel, damage; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lew- | dirt, mud; to cut, remove, prune, separate; to... |