Where does “latchman” come from?
latchman (English) comes from English MAN, from English manual, from Middle English manuel, from Anglo-Norman manuel, from Old French manual, from Latin manuālis, from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic manus — human being; man; hand.
latchman (English): A person employed to run in front of a locomotive and open the latch to turn it into a siding for trams to pass
Definitions
- A person employed to run in front of a locomotive and open the latch to turn it into a siding for trams to pass
Ancestry of “latchman”, step by step
latchman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English MAN
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAN | Initialism of Metropolitan Area Network |
| 2 | English | manual | A handbook; A booklet that instructs on the usage... |
| 3 | Middle English | manuel | — |
| 4 | Anglo-Norman | manuel | manual; done with the hands; handle; manual;... |
| 5 | Old French | manual | — |
| 6 | Latin | manuālis | hand |
| 7 | Latin | manus | hand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | manus | hand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | man- | human being; man; hand |
via English latch
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | latch | To close or lock as if with a latch; To catch;... |
| 2 | Middle English | latche | — |
| 3 | Middle English | lacchen | to seize, catch, grasp; to seize, catch |
| 4 | Old English | læċċan | to grasp, take hold of, catch, seize”; to grasp,... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | lakjaną | To cause to wet; moisten |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |