Where does “mainboard” come from?

mainboard (English) comes from English board, from English boardrider, from English rider, from Middle English ridere, from Middle English ryder, from Old English rīdere, from Old English rīdan, from Proto-West Germanic rīdan — to fit, to fix, to put together.

mainboard (English): motherboard

Definitions

  1. motherboard

Ancestry of “mainboard”, step by step

mainboard traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English board

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboardA relatively long, wide and thin piece of any...
2Englishboardridersurfer
3EnglishriderOne who rides, often on a horse or a motorcycle;...
4Middle EnglishridereAlternative form of ryder
5Middle EnglishryderA rider or equestrian; one who rides a horse; A...
6Old Englishrīdererider, knight
7Old Englishrīdanto ride
8Proto-West Germanicrīdanto ride
9Proto-Germanicrīdanąto ride
10Proto-Indo-Europeanrēydʰ-
11Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂er-to fit, to fix, to put together

via English main

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmainOf chief or leading importance; prime, principal;...
2Frenchmainhand; handball
3Middle Frenchmainhand
4Old Frenchmainhand
5Latinmanushand; bravery, valor; violence, fighting
6Proto-Italicmanushand
7Proto-Indo-Europeanman-human being; man; hand

Words derived from “mainboard

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-