Where does “masthead” come from?
Masthead comes from English mast and head, with mast deriving from Old Norse mastr, ultimately tracing through Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European roots meaning "pole" or "post."
masthead (English): The top of a mast; A list of a newspaper or other...
Definitions
- The top of a mast; A list of a newspaper or other...
Ancestry of “masthead”, step by step
masthead traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Mast
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Mast | — |
| 2 | French | masse | a paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of... |
| 3 | Old French | mace | mace weapon |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | mattia | — |
| 5 | Latin | mateola | The meaning of this term is uncertain.... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |