Where does “gentlemen's” come from?
gentlemen's (English) comes from English gentlemen's room, from English waiting room, from English waiting, from English wait, from Middle English waiten, from Anglo-Norman waiter, from Frankish wahtwēn, from Frankish wahtu — lively, awake; strong.
gentlemen's (English): possessive case of gentlemen: belonging to some...
Definitions
- possessive case of gentlemen: belonging to some...
Ancestry of “gentlemen's”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gentlemen's room | Any room intended for use by men, "particularly:" |
| 2 | English | waiting room | A room in some public place for people to wait |
| 3 | English | waiting | present participle of wait; Watching; The act of... |
| 4 | English | wait | To delay movement or action until the arrival or... |
| 5 | Middle English | waiten | to look at, behold |
| 6 | Anglo-Norman | waiter | — |
| 7 | Frankish | wahtwēn | to guard, protect; to keep watch |
| 8 | Frankish | wahtu | watch, guard; watch, guard duty, watchtower;... |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | wahtwō | watch, vigil |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | wakaną | to wake, be awake, arise |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weǵ- | lively, awake; strong |