Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hiker” come from?

Hiker comes from English hike, which derives from English hyke, itself from English hitch, tracing back through Latin -are, Latin -arius, Latin -us, and Proto-Italic -os.

hiker (English): One who hikes, especially frequently

Definitions

  1. One who hikes, especially frequently

Ancestry of “hiker”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishhikeA long walk; An abrupt increase; The snap of the...
2EnglishhykeAlternative form of haik; Alternative form of...
3EnglishHitch—
4EnglishRichard—
5Middle EnglishRycharde—
6Old FrenchRichard—
7Medieval LatinRichardus—
8FrankishRīkahard—
9Proto-GermanicRīkaharduzA male given name
10Proto-Germanicrīksking, ruler
11Proto-Celticrīxsking
12Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
13Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “hiker”

  • nonhiker
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →