Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “junkyard” come from?

Junkyard derives from English yard and junco (a type of bird), from Latin iuncus meaning reed or rush, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰer- meaning to grasp or enclose.

junkyard (English): A place where rubbish is placed; A business that...

Definitions

  1. A place where rubbish is placed; A business that...

Ancestry of “junkyard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishYard—
2Englishmilliard10, a thousand million
3FrenchmilliardA milliard
4Frenchmillionmillion, 10
5Middle Frenchmillionmillion, 10
6Old Frenchmillon—
7Italianmilionemillion
8Italianmillethousand
9LatinMīlle—
10Proto-Italicsmīɣeslī—
11Proto-Indo-Europeansmih₂ǵʰéslih₂—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European smih₂ǵʰéslih₂ →