Where does “highwaywoman” come from?
highwaywoman (English) comes from English highway, from Middle English heiȝwai, from Old English hēahweġ, from Old English hēah, from Old English hām, from Proto-West Germanic haim, from Proto-Germanic haimaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱóymos — to be lying down; to settle.
highwaywoman (English): The female equivalent of a highwayman
Definitions
- The female equivalent of a highwayman
Ancestry of “highwaywoman”, step by step
highwaywoman 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 woman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 3 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 4 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |