Where does “motorcar” come from?
Motorcar combines English motor with car, which derives from Latin carrus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱr̥sós meaning "to run."
motorcar (English): An enclosed passenger vehicle powered by an...
Definitions
- An enclosed passenger vehicle powered by an...
Ancestry of “motorcar”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | car | A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with... |
| 2 | Middle English | carre | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | carre | cart |
| 4 | Latin | carra | — |
| 5 | Latin | carrus | a wagon, a four-wheeled baggage cart; a cartload,... |
| 6 | Gaulish | karros | wagon |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | karros | wagon |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱr̥sós | vehicle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱers- | to run |
Words derived from “motorcar”