Where does “gerrymander” come from?
gerrymander (English) comes from English salamander, from Middle English salamandre, from Old French salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Ancient Greek σαλαμάνδρα, from Persian سمندر, from Persian سام, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ćyaHmás — darkness, shadow.
gerrymander (English): To divide a geographic area into voting districts...
Definitions
- To divide a geographic area into voting districts...
Ancestry of “gerrymander”, step by step
gerrymander traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English salamander
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | salamander | A long, slender, chiefly terrestrial amphibian of... |
| 2 | Middle English | salamandre | — |
| 3 | Old French | salamandre | salamander |
| 4 | Latin | salamandra | salamander |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | σαλαμάνδρα | fire salamander |
| 6 | Persian | سمندر | salamander; a mythological fire-dwelling creature... |
| 7 | Persian | سام | fire; flame; swell, swelling |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | ćyaHmás | black |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱyeh₁-mó-s | black, dark |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ḱeh₃- | darkness, shadow |
via English Gerry
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Gerry | — |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |