Where does “leatherboy” come from?

leatherboy (English) comes from English leather, from English stocking, from English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Old English -tūn, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną — smoke; mist, haze.

leatherboy (English): A young or submissive member of the leatherman...

Definitions

  1. A young or submissive member of the leatherman...

Ancestry of “leatherboy”, step by step

leatherboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English leather

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishleatherA tough material produced from the skin of...
2EnglishstockingA soft garment, usually knit or woven, worn on...
3English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
4Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
5Old English-tūnhomestead, village, town
6Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
7Proto-West Germanictūnfence
8Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
9Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
10Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
11Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English boy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboyA young male; A male child: a son of any age; A...
2Middle Englishboyeservant, commoner, knave, boy
3Old Englishbōiaboy
4Proto-Germanicbōjôyounger brother, young male relation
5Proto-Germanicbō-A stem meaning "father, brother, close male...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰā-to say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-
leatherboy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer