Where does “grassroot” come from?
grassroot (English) comes from English root, from Middle English rote, from Old French rote, from Latin rupta, from Latin ruptus, from Latin rumpō, from Proto-Indo-European Hrunépti, from Proto-Indo-European Hrewp- — to tear out, dig out, open, acquire.
grassroot (English): Alternative form of grassroots
Definitions
- Alternative form of grassroots
Ancestry of “grassroot”, step by step
grassroot traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English root
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | root | The part of a plant, generally underground, that... |
| 2 | Middle English | rote | The root; The foundation or base of a... |
| 3 | Old French | rote | route, path |
| 4 | Latin | rupta | nominative feminine singular of ruptus;... |
| 5 | Latin | ruptus | broken; ruptured, burst |
| 6 | Latin | rumpō | to break, burst, tear, rend, rupture; break asunder, force open |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrunépti | to be breaking |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrewp- | to break, tear |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | Hrew- | to tear out, dig out, open, acquire |
via English grass
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grass | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by... |
| 2 | Middle English | gras | A grass; Any plant; especially a herbaceous one;... |
| 3 | Old English | græs | grass |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | gras | grass |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grasą | grass |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰreh₁- | to become green, grow; to grow; to green, to grow |