Where does “nautical” come from?
Nautical derives from Middle French nautique, from Latin nauticus, from Ancient Greek ναυτικός, ultimately from Ancient Greek ναύτης meaning sailor, with the agent suffix -της.
nautical (English): Relating to or involving ships or shipping or...
Definitions
- Relating to or involving ships or shipping or...
Ancestry of “nautical”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | nautique | — |
| 2 | Latin | nauticus | nautical, naval |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ναυτικός | seafaring, naval, on the sea; skilled in... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ναύτης | sailor, seaman; companion at sea |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | -τής | Appended to verbs to form agent nouns |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πεῖρα | trial, experiment, attempt |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |