Where does “mainframe” come from?
Mainframe comes from English main and frame, where main derives from French main, Middle French main, and Latin manus meaning hand, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men- or man-.
mainframe (English): A large, powerful computer able to manage very...
Definitions
- A large, powerful computer able to manage very...
Ancestry of “mainframe”, step by step
mainframe traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English frame
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | frame | To fit, as for a specific end or purpose; make... |
| 2 | Middle English | frame | — |
| 3 | Old Norse | frami | advancement |
| 4 | Old Norse | fram | forward, forth |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fram | from; by, due to; forth, forward |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | framaz | forward, prominent |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | prom- | forth, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |