Where does “homework” come from?
Homework comes from Middle English home plus work, ultimately from Old English hām and Proto-Indo-European kem-, meaning to desire or love.
homework (English): Work that is done at home, especially school...
Definitions
- Work that is done at home, especially school...
Ancestry of “homework”, step by step
homework traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English work
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | work | "Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to... |
| 2 | Middle English | werk | work |
| 3 | Old English | weorc | work, in various senses, including |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | werk | work |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | werką | work |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wérǵom | work |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | werǵ- | to make |
via English Home
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Home | A key that when pressed causes the cursor to go... |
| 2 | Middle English | hōm | home, residence, dwelling |
| 3 | Old English | hām | home; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | haim | home |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | haimaz | home; house; village |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóymos | of the home, belonging to the family; village,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |