Where does “mailboat” come from?
mailboat (English) comes from English mail, from Middle English mal, from Old English māl, from Old Norse mál, from Proto-Germanic mēlą, from Proto-Indo-European melh₂-, from Proto-Indo-European mel-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
mailboat (English): a boat used to transport mail
Definitions
- a boat used to transport mail
Ancestry of “mailboat”, step by step
mailboat traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be... | |
| 2 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 3 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 4 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |
via English boat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boat | A craft used for transportation of goods,... |
| 2 | Middle English | bot | A seafaring vessel or watercraft; a device for... |
| 3 | Old English | bāt | that which can be bitten, food, bait; boat, ship,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | bait | boat, ship |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | baitaz | boat, ship |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰeyd- | to split |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰey- | bee |