Where does “freefaller” come from?

freefaller (English) comes from English freefall, from English Free, from English faller, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō — he, she.

freefaller (English): One who freefalls

Definitions

  1. One who freefalls

Ancestry of “freefaller”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfreefallThe state of being in a motion affected by no...
2EnglishFreeUnconstrained
3EnglishfallerOne who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,...
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-ārefirst conjugation
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
12Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from English -erEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yéti