Where does “hatchet” come from?
Hatchet comes from Middle English hachet, from Old French hachete, diminutive of Old French hache, from Frankish happja, from Proto-Germanic hapjō, from Proto-Indo-European kop-.
hatchet (English): A small light axe with a short handle; a...
Definitions
- A small light axe with a short handle; a...
Ancestry of “hatchet”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hachet | A hatchet; a light axe or a tomahawk; A war axe |
| 2 | Old French | hachete | — |
| 3 | Old French | hache | axe |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | *happia | — |
| 5 | Frankish | happja | axe, hatchet |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hapjǭ | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kop- | to dig; to strike, to beat |
Words derived from “hatchet”