Where does “mechanic” come from?
Mechanic comes from Middle English mechanike, from Old French mecanique, from Latin mechanicus, from Ancient Greek μηχανικός, formed from the root μηχανή meaning "machine" and the suffix -ικός.
mechanic (English): mechanical; relating to the laws of motion in the...
Definitions
- mechanical; relating to the laws of motion in the...
Ancestry of “mechanic”, step by step
mechanic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English mechanike
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mechanike | mechanic art |
| 2 | Old French | mecanique | — |
| 3 | Latin | mēchanicus | engineer |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | μηχανικός | ingenious, resourceful; of or pertaining to... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -ικός | of or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | -κός | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
via Middle English mekanyk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mekanyk | mechanical done with tools |