Where does “no man's land” come from?
no man's land (English) comes from Middle English Nomanneslond, from Middle English noman, from Middle English no, from Old English nā, from Old English ne, from Old English ealles, from Old English -es, from Proto-Germanic -as — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...
no man's land (English): The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted
Definitions
- The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted
Ancestry of “no man's land”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Nomanneslond | An area of land outside of London utilised for executions |
| 2 | Middle English | noman | Not any person; no one, nobody |
| 3 | Middle English | no | no |
| 4 | Old English | nā | no |
| 5 | Old English | ne | not; or, and not; "ne... ne..." is used to mean "... |
| 6 | Old English | ealles | completely, wholly, entirely; totally,... |
| 7 | Old English | -es | possessive marker, indicating that an object... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -as | used in formation of adverbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -ēs | Primarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -ess | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -os | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;... |