Where does “fretboard” come from?

fretboard (English) comes from English board, from English boardrider, from English rider, from Middle English ridere, from Middle English ryder, from Old English rīdere, from Old English rīdan, from Proto-West Germanic rīdan — to fit, to fix, to put together.

fretboard (English): A fret or plate put over the neck of musical...

Definitions

  1. A fret or plate put over the neck of musical...

Ancestry of “fretboard”, step by step

fretboard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English board

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboardA relatively long, wide and thin piece of any...
2Englishboardridersurfer
3EnglishriderOne who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;...
4Middle EnglishridereAlternative form of ryder
5Middle EnglishryderA rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A...
6Old Englishrīdererider, knight
7Old Englishrīdanto ride
8Proto-West Germanicrīdanto ride
9Proto-Germanicrīdanąto ride
10Proto-Indo-Europeanrēydʰ-
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

via English FRET

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishFRETFörster resonance energy transfer; fluorescence...
2Middle Englishfrētento eat; to devour, eat up; to bite, chew; to...
3Old Frenchfreterto fret
4Old Frenchfretcharge; past participle of fraindre
5Middle DutchvrechtAlternative form of vracht; cost of transport
6Old Dutchfrēht
7Proto-Germanicfra-off, away; completely, fully, up
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
10Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-