Where does “hatchway” come from?
Hatchway derives from English hatch and way, with hatch tracing to Old English weġ, Frankish happja, and Proto-Indo-European weǵʰ-, meaning to move or transport.
hatchway (English): A means of passing through a wall or floor,...
Definitions
- A means of passing through a wall or floor,...
Ancestry of “hatchway”, step by step
hatchway traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hatch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hatch | A horizontal door in a floor or ceiling; A... |
| 2 | Middle French | hacher | to chop up, mince |
| 3 | Old French | hacher | to chop up, mince |
| 4 | Old French | hache | axe |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | *happia | — |
| 6 | Frankish | happja | axe, hatchet |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *hapjǭ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kop- | to dig; to strike, to beat |