Where does “headteacher” come from?

headteacher (English) comes from English head, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

headteacher (English): The most senior teacher in a school who is...

Definitions

  1. The most senior teacher in a school who is...

Ancestry of “headteacher”, step by step

headteacher traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English head

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishheadThe part of the body of an animal or human which...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

via English teacher

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishteacherA person who teaches, especially one employed in...
2Middle Englishtechere
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱosEvery word from English -yEvery word from Old English -iġ