Where does “mainline” come from?
Mainline derives from English line and English lind, from Middle French main meaning "hand," from Latin manus meaning "hand," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European men- and man-.
mainline (English): Normal, principal or standard; Of or pertaining...
Definitions
- Normal, principal or standard; Of or pertaining...
Ancestry of “mainline”, step by step
mainline traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English line
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | line | A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight |
| 2 | Middle English | line | rope, cord; line, rule, ruler, measure; rule,... |
| 3 | Old English | līne | line, rope, cord; line, cable, rope, hawser,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *līnā | line, chord, rope, string |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | līnǭ | that which is made of flax; line, chord, rope,... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | līną | flax |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | līno- | flax |