Where does “handkercher” come from?
handkercher (English) comes from English handkerchief, from English kerchief, from Middle English keverchef, from Old French couvrechief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput — to seize, hold.
handkercher (English): Obsolete form of handkerchief
Definitions
- Obsolete form of handkerchief
Ancestry of “handkercher”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | handkerchief | A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine... |
| 2 | English | kerchief | A piece of cloth used to cover the head; a... |
| 3 | Middle English | keverchef | A headcloth or kerchief; a cover for the head usually of a woman |
| 4 | Old French | couvrechief | — |
| 5 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 7 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |