Where does “horsepower” come from?
Horsepower derives from Middle English horse and Middle English -en, combining Old English -en with Proto-Indo-European ḱers-, originally meaning to run or move swiftly.
horsepower (English): Power derived from the motion of a horse; A...
Definitions
- Power derived from the motion of a horse; A...
Ancestry of “horsepower”, step by step
horsepower traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Power
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Power | A button of a computer, a video game console, or... |
| 2 | Middle English | power | Ability, power or capability |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | poer | — |
| 4 | Latin | potēre | — |
| 5 | Latin | posse | present active infinitive of possum "to be able... |
| 6 | Latin | potis | able, capable, possible |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | potis | master, in control of |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pótis | master, ruler; husband |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ph₃tis | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₃- | to drink |