Where does “ghostwritten” come from?
ghostwritten (English) comes from English written, from English write, from Middle English writen, from Old English wrītan, from Proto-West Germanic wrītan, from Proto-Germanic wrītaną, from Proto-Indo-European wēr-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
ghostwritten (English): Written by a ghostwriter
Definitions
- Written by a ghostwriter
Ancestry of “ghostwritten”, step by step
ghostwritten traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English written
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | written | Of, relating, or characteristic of writing;... |
| 2 | English | write | To form letters, words or symbols on a surface in... |
| 3 | Middle English | writen | To write draw letters on paper to form words; note the following common specialised senses |
| 4 | Old English | wrītan | to incise, engrave; to scratch, carve, write; to... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | wrītan | to scratch, to carve |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | wrītaną | to scratch, carve; to engrave, inscribe, write |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via English ghost
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ghost | The spirit; the soul of man; The disembodied... |
| 2 | Middle English | gost | a spiritual being; angel, devil, spirit; soul of... |
| 3 | Old English | gāst | breath, soul, spirit, ghost, being |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gaist | ghost, spirit |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | gaistaz | terror, fear; spirit, ghost; mind |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰeysd- | anger, agitation |