Where does “gridlock” come from?
Gridlock comes from English gridiron, derived from Proto-Germanic luką and Proto-Indo-European lewg-, ultimately tracing to Latin cratis and Proto-Indo-European krtis through a chain of linguistic development.
gridlock (English): A condition of total, interlocking traffic...
Definitions
- A condition of total, interlocking traffic...
Ancestry of “gridlock”, step by step
gridlock traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English grid
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grid | A rectangular array of squares or rectangles of... |
| 2 | English | griddle | A stone or metal flat plate or surface on which... |
| 3 | Middle English | gridil | An iron grate or grid |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | gredil | Alternative form of greil |
| 5 | Old French | greïl | grill (usually metal mesh suitable for being exposed to fire) |
| 6 | Old French | graïlle | grate, grating |
| 7 | Occitan | gralha | crow |
| 8 | Vulgar Latin | gracla | — |
| 9 | Latin | grācula | (female) jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) |
| 10 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |