Where does “groundskeeping” come from?
groundskeeping (English) comes from English grounds, from English ground, from Middle English ground, from Old English grund, from Proto-Germanic grunduz, from Proto-Indo-European gʰrem-, from Proto-Indo-European gʰer- — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
groundskeeping (English): The activity of tending an area of land for...
Definitions
- The activity of tending an area of land for...
Ancestry of “groundskeeping”, step by step
groundskeeping traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English grounds
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grounds | plural of ground; Basis or justification for... |
| 2 | English | ground | The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky... |
| 3 | Middle English | ground | ground; Earth |
| 4 | Old English | grund | ground; bottom, foundation; abyss, depths |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | grunduz | ground, foundation |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrem- | to be angry; to sound, bellow, growl, roar, be... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |
via English keeping
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | keeping | conformity or harmony; charge or care;... |
| 2 | English | keep | To continue in (a course or mode of action); to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain |
| 3 | Middle English | kepen | to keep, guard, look after, watch |
| 4 | Old English | cēpan | to seize, hold, observe |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *kōpijan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | kōpijaną | to look after, observe; to watch, keep, care for |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵab- | — |