Where does “localhost” come from?
Localhost comes from English local and host, which derives from Middle English oost, from Old French oste, from Latin locus meaning place, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European gʰóstis.
localhost (English): The computer being used locally, contrasted with...
Definitions
- The computer being used locally, contrasted with...
Ancestry of “localhost”, step by step
localhost traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English host
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | host | One which receives or entertains a guest,... |
| 2 | Middle English | host | — |
| 3 | Old English | hwōsta | cough; a cough |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwōstō | cough |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwōstô | cough |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hwōsaną | to cough |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeh₂s- | to cough |
via English local
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | local | From or in a nearby location; Having limited... |
| 2 | Middle English | local | — |
| 3 | Late Latin | localis | belonging to a place; local; Belong to a place;... |
| 4 | Latin | locus | place, spot; a passage of literature; "in the... |
| 5 | Old Latin | stlocus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | stlokos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stel- | to put, to place; to locate |