Where does “knifegrinder” come from?
knifegrinder (English) comes from English grinder, from Middle English grinder, from Old English grindere, from Old English -ere, from Proto-West Germanic -ārī, from Proto-Germanic -ārijaz, from Latin -ārius, from Proto-Italic *-āzios — Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals).
knifegrinder (English): One whose trade is the sharpening of knives on a...
Definitions
- One whose trade is the sharpening of knives on a...
Ancestry of “knifegrinder”, step by step
knifegrinder traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English grinder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | grinder | One who grinds something, such as the teeth; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | grinder | — |
| 3 | Old English | grindere | one who or that which grinds, especially corn or... |
| 4 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |
via English knife
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | knife | A utensil or a tool designed for cutting,... |
| 2 | Middle English | knyf | A knife as a tool or instrument; the following... |
| 3 | Old English | cnīf | knife |
| 4 | Old Norse | knífr | knife |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | knībaz | pincers; shears; knife |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | knīpaną | to pinch |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵneybʰ- | — |