Where does “navvy” come from?
Navvy comes from English navigator, a person who steers a ship or explores unknown regions.
navvy (English): A laborer on a civil engineering project such as...
Definitions
- A laborer on a civil engineering project such as...
Ancestry of “navvy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | navigator | A person who navigates, especially an officer... |
| 2 | Latin | navigātor | a sailor or mariner |
| 3 | Latin | nāvigō | to sail, navigate, seafare, embark |
| 4 | Latin | nāvis | ship, boat, vessel; a fleet in the plural |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | naus | — |
| 6 | German | hinaus | out |
| 7 | German | aus | out; over; finished; done; up; off |
| 8 | Old High German | ūz | out |
| 9 | Proto-West Germanic | *ūt | out, outward |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | ūt | out, outward |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | úd | out, outward |