Where does “gingerbread office” come from?
gingerbread office (English) comes from English office, from Middle English office, from Old French office, from Latin officium, from Latin opificium, from Latin opifex, from Latin Ops, from Latin oscen — missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
gingerbread office (English): An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory;...
Definitions
- An outhouse: an outbuilding used as a lavatory;...
Ancestry of “gingerbread office”, step by step
gingerbread office traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English office
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | office | A ceremonial duty or service, "particularly"; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | office | The state of being employed or having a work or... |
| 3 | Old French | office | office; service |
| 4 | Latin | officium | duty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory... |
| 5 | Latin | opificium | work |
| 6 | Latin | opifex | Someone who does work (especially creative or constructive); worker, maker, framer, fabricator, workman, mechanic, artificer, craftsman, inventor, artist, artisan |
| 7 | Latin | Ops | earth goddess, fertility deity |
| 8 | Latin | oscen | any bird by whose song cries augurs divined... |
| 9 | Latin | opscen | — |
| 10 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 11 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |
via English gingerbread
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | gingerbread | A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger;... |
| 2 | Middle English | gyngebred | ginger especially if preserved |
| 3 | Old French | gingembras | — |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | gingimbratus | gingered |
| 5 | Latin | zingiber | Alternative form of zingiberī n |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ζιγγίβερις | ginger |
| 7 | Sauraseni Prakrit | 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 | ginger |
| 8 | Old Tamil | 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 | ginger root |
| 9 | Old Tamil | 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 | root |
| 10 | Proto-Dravidian | *wēr | root |