Where does “gongman” come from?

gongman (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.

gongman (English): A man employed in parts of Africa to disseminate information within a community, usually by means of a gong

Definitions

  1. A man employed in parts of Africa to disseminate information within a community, usually by means of a gong

Ancestry of “gongman”, step by step

gongman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English MAN

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishMANInitialism of Metropolitan Area Network
2EnglishmanualA handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage...
3Middle Englishmanuel
4Anglo-Normanmanuelmanual; done with the hands; handle; manual;...
5Old Frenchmanual
6Latinmanuālishand
7Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
8Proto-Italicmanushand
9Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

via English gong

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishgongA percussion instrument consisting of a metal...
2Middle EnglishgongAn outhouse; a building used as a lavatory
3Old Englishgong
4Old Englishganganto go, walk; to turn out
5Proto-West Germanic*ganganto go, walk, step
Every word from Proto-Indo-European man-Every word from Proto-Italic manusEvery word from Latin manus