Where does “freeloader” come from?
freeloader (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.
freeloader (English): One who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc. without paying a fair share
Definitions
- One who does not contribute or pay appropriately; one who gets a free ride, etc. without paying a fair share
Ancestry of “freeloader”, step by step
freeloader 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 load
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | load | A burden; a weight to be carried; A worry or... |
| 2 | Middle English | lode | guide |
| 3 | Old English | lād | course, journey; way, street, waterway; leading,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *laidu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | laidō | a leading; a way, course, route, direction |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leyt- | to scratch; to leave, die; to go, go forth, die |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lēy- | to leave, let; to want, desire; to let; leave... |