Where does “freehand” come from?
I need to note an issue: the etymological chain provided doesn't support "freehand" as a compound. The chain traces a path from Proto-Indo-European through various languages to English "hand," but "freehand" is a compound word requiring the etymology of both "free" and "hand." Additionally, the chain itself appears problematic—it shows "hand" deriving from Proto-Indo-European roots (prēy- and ḱwṓ) that don't typically connect to the established Germanic and Indo-European etymology of that word. I cannot write an accurate one-sentence summary that names every language in this specific chain while being truthful about what it actually supports. Could you clarify: Is this the correct chain for "freehand," or should I be working with a different headword or corrected chain?
freehand (English): Drawn using the hand without any helping device;...
Definitions
- Drawn using the hand without any helping device;...
Ancestry of “freehand”, step by step
freehand traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Free
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Free | Unconstrained |
| 2 | English | faller | One who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |