Where does “free-hanging” come from?

free-hanging (English) comes from English Free, from English faller, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.

free-hanging (English): Hanging clear of other objects and without support from other objects

Definitions

  1. Hanging clear of other objects and without support from other objects

Ancestry of “free-hanging”, step by step

free-hanging traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Free

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFreeUnconstrained
2EnglishfallerOne who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,...
3English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
4Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
5Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
6Latin-ārefirst conjugation
7Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
8Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
9Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
10Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
11Chichewaiyehe, she

via English hanging

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishhangingpresent participle of hang; Suspended;...
2Middle Englishhangynge
Every word from Chichewa iye