Where does “middlebox” come from?

middlebox (English) comes from English box, from French boxer, from French -er, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō — he, she.

middlebox (English): A device in the Internet that provides transport...

Definitions

  1. A device in the Internet that provides transport...

Ancestry of “middlebox”, step by step

middlebox traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English box

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishboxSenses relating to a three-dimensional object or...
2Frenchboxerboxer; boxer shorts, boxers; to box
3French-erForms infinitives of first-conjugation verbs
4English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
5Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
6Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
7Latin-ārefirst conjugation
8Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
9Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
10Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
11Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
12Chichewaiyehe, she

via English middle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmiddleA centre, midpoint; The part between the...
2Middle EnglishmyddelThe middle or centre of something
3Old Englishmiddelmiddle
4Proto-West Germanic*midl
5Proto-Germanicmidląmiddle
6Proto-Germanicmidjōmiddle, midst
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmédʰyosmiddle
8Proto-Indo-Europeanmedʰi-with, among; with, along
9Proto-Indo-Europeanmein the middle of, near, by, around, with
Every word from Chichewa iye