Where does “handsignalman” come from?
handsignalman (English) comes from English signalman, from English signal, from Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signālis, from Latin signum, from Proto-Italic seknom, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
handsignalman (English): A person who gives a signal by hand, in particular on a railway
Definitions
- A person who gives a signal by hand, in particular on a railway
Ancestry of “handsignalman”, step by step
handsignalman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English signalman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | signalman | Somebody employed to operate the signals and... |
| 2 | English | signal | A sequence of states representing an encoded... |
| 3 | Old French | segnal | emblem; badge; signature; distinguishing mark... |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | signale | signal |
| 5 | Latin | signālis | — |
| 6 | Latin | signum | visible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal,... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | seknom | sign |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
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 |