Where does “handset” come from?
Handset is a compound of English hand and English set, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *satjaną meaning "to cause to sit."
handset (English): The part of a landline telephone containing both...
Definitions
- The part of a landline telephone containing both...
Ancestry of “handset”, step by step
handset traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English seṭ
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | seṭ | of a root, having a final "i" sound in certain... |
| 2 | English | sept | A clan, tribe, or family, proceeding from a... |
| 3 | English | sect | An offshoot of a larger religion; a group sharing... |
| 4 | Middle English | secte | A variety or sort; a category with a... |
| 5 | Old French | secte | a sect in philosophy or religion |
| 6 | Late Latin | secta | a sect in philosophy or religion, a school,... |
| 7 | Latin | sequi | present active infinitive of sequor; follow, come... |
| 8 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |