Where does “hark back” come from?
hark back (English) comes from English back, from French bac, from French baccalauréat, from Medieval Latin baccalaureatus, from Latin baccalaureus, from Latin laurea, from Latin laurus, from English -aceous — Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems.
hark back (English): To call back (hounds); to recall
Definitions
- To call back (hounds); to recall
Ancestry of “hark back”, step by step
hark back traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English back
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | back | Near the rear; Not current; Far from the main... |
| 2 | French | bac | ferry; vat; high school exit exam in France; A... |
| 3 | French | baccalauréat | baccalaureat; bachelor's degree |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | baccalaureatus | bachelor's degree |
| 5 | Latin | baccalaureus | bachelor |
| 6 | Latin | laurea | laurel, bay tree; crown, wreath or branch of... |
| 7 | Latin | laurus | laurel tree; laurels; a crown of laurel |
| 8 | English | -aceous | Of, relating to, resembling or containing the... |
| 9 | Latin | -āceus | aceous; resembling, having the nature of, forming, belonging to |
| 10 | Latin | -āx | ish, -y |
| 11 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 12 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via English hark
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hark | To listen attentively; A whisper |
| 2 | Middle English | herken | to listen attentively, take heed |
| 3 | Old English | hercian | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hauzakōną | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hauzijaną | to hear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ḱh₂owsyéti | to be sharp-eared, to hear well |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ṓws | ear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ew- | to enjoy; to consume; to perceive, see, to be... |