Where does “masterstroke” come from?
masterstroke (English) comes from English Master, from English Mast, from French masse, from Old French mace, from Vulgar Latin mattia, from Latin mateola, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.
masterstroke (English): An action which demonstrates great skill or...
Definitions
- An action which demonstrates great skill or...
Ancestry of “masterstroke”, step by step
masterstroke traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Master
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Master | Prepended to a boy's name or surname as a form... |
| 2 | English | Mast | — |
| 3 | French | masse | a paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of... |
| 4 | Old French | mace | mace weapon |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | mattia | — |
| 6 | Latin | mateola | The meaning of this term is uncertain.... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English stroke
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | stroke | An act of stroking; A blow or hit; A single... |
| 2 | Middle English | stroke | Any striking or hitting motion; The force of... |
| 3 | Middle English | strok | Alternative form of stroke; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old English | strāc | stroke |
| 5 | Scots | straik | A stroke, a blow; To stroke |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | straikaz | A stroke, line, dash |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | streyg- | to strike; to shear |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ter- | strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to... |