Where does “nonmainstream” come from?

nonmainstream (English) comes from English mainstream, from English stream, from Middle English streem, from Middle English strem, from Old English strēam, from Proto-West Germanic straum, from Proto-Germanic straumaz, from Proto-Indo-European srowmos — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

nonmainstream (English): Not mainstream

Definitions

  1. Not mainstream

Ancestry of “nonmainstream”, step by step

nonmainstream traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English mainstream

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmainstreamUsed or accepted broadly rather than by small...
2EnglishstreamA small river; a large creek; a body of moving...
3Middle EnglishstreemAlternative form of strem
4Middle EnglishstremA waterbody; a region of the world containing...
5Old Englishstrēamcurrent; stream
6Proto-West Germanicstraumstream
7Proto-Germanicstraumazstream, current, river
8Proto-Indo-Europeansrowmosriver
9Proto-Indo-Europeansrew-to flow, stream
10Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

via English non

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishnonObsolete form of none
2Frenchnonno; not; a no, a negative response
3Old Frenchnonno; not; Alternative form of nom
4Latinnōnnot
5Old Latinnoenum
6Proto-Indo-Europeanóynosone; single
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser-
nonmainstream — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer