Where does “mower” come from?
Mower comes from English mow, from Middle French moue, from Latin movēo meaning to move, extended with the agent suffix -ārius to denote one who moves or cuts.
mower (English): A lawnmower, a machine used to cut grass; A...
Definitions
- A lawnmower, a machine used to cut grass; A...
Ancestry of “mower”, step by step
mower traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English mow
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | mow | To cut down grass or crops; To cut down or... |
| 2 | Middle English | mowen | To be strong or powerful; To be able to; to have... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via Middle English mowere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | mowere | mower cutter of grass |
| 2 | Middle English | -ere | er |
| 3 | Old English | -ere | masculine agent suffix, originally applied only... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 6 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |