Where does “highwayman” come from?
Highwayman comes from English highway and man, where man derives from Middle English man and mon, from Proto-Germanic mann-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men- meaning "human being."
highwayman (English): A person usually mounted on horseback who robbed...
Definitions
- A person usually mounted on horseback who robbed...
Ancestry of “highwayman”, step by step
highwayman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English highway
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | highway | A main, direct public road, especially a... |
| 2 | Middle English | heiȝwai | — |
| 3 | Old English | hēahweġ | main road, highway |
| 4 | Old English | hēah | high, tall, lofty, high-class, exalted, sublime,... |
| 5 | Old English | hām | home; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,... |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | haim | home |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | haimaz | home; house; village |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóymos | of the home, belonging to the family; village,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |