Where does “hijacking” come from?
Hijacking derives from English hijack plus the Old English suffix -ing, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ungō, a nominalizing suffix forming abstract nouns from verbs.
hijacking (English): present participle of hijack; The act of one who...
Definitions
- present participle of hijack; The act of one who...
Ancestry of “hijacking”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hijack | To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat) |
| 2 | English | jacker | One who hunts at night using a jacklight |
| 3 | English | jacklight | A spotlight or lamp mounted on a car; To shine a... |
| 4 | English | Jack | A placeholder or conventional name for any man,... |
| 5 | Middle English | jakke | A padded coat, especially as light armour |
| 6 | Anglo-Norman | jacke | — |
| 7 | Middle French | jaque | — |
| 8 | Middle French | jacques | — |
| 9 | French | jacques | plural of jacque; a stupid person; a jemmy or... |
| 10 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 11 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | Jacob |
| 13 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 14 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |