Where does “newspaperboy” come from?
newspaperboy (English) comes from English newspaper, from English paper, from Middle English paper, from Old French papier, from Old Catalan paper, from Latin papȳrus, from French -ine, from French -é.
Ancestry of “newspaperboy”, step by step
newspaperboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English newspaper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | newspaper | A publication, usually published daily or weekly... |
| 2 | English | paper | A sheet material used for writing on or printing... |
| 3 | Middle English | paper | paper; A text, message or note; something that is... |
| 4 | Old French | papier | to murmur |
| 5 | Old Catalan | paper | paper sheet material typically used for writing on or printing |
| 6 | Latin | papȳrus | papyrus plant |
| 7 | French | -ine | feminine singular of -in; female equivalent of... |
| 8 | French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular -er... |
| 9 | Middle French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular; -ed, -en, -n |
| 10 | Old French | -é | used to form past participles of regular -er... |
| 11 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂ | — |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |