Where does “loverboy” come from?
loverboy (English) comes from English lover, from Middle English lovere, from Middle English loven, from Old English lofian, from Proto-Germanic *lobōn, from Proto-Germanic lubōną, from Proto-Indo-European lewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European lēw- — to sound, resound, sing out; to leave.
loverboy (English): A male lover, especially a young one; A...
Definitions
- A male lover, especially a young one; A...
Ancestry of “loverboy”, step by step
loverboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English lover
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lover | One who loves and cares for another person in a... |
| 2 | Middle English | lovere | A friend; one who is favorable towards someone or something |
| 3 | Middle English | loven | to love |
| 4 | Old English | lofian | to praise; exalt; to appraise; value; put a price... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *lobōn | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | lubōną | to praise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewbʰ- | to desire, covet, want; to admire, praise; to... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | lēw- | to sound, resound, sing out; to leave |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |