Where does “nurserymaid” come from?
nurserymaid (English) comes from English nursery, from Middle English noricerie, from Old French norricerie, from Old French norrice, from Latin nūtrīcia, from Latin nūtrīcius, from Latin nūtrīx, from Latin nūtriō — to swim; to float.
nurserymaid (English): nursemaid
Definitions
- nursemaid
Ancestry of “nurserymaid”, step by step
nurserymaid traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English nursery
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | nursery | A place where nursing or the raising of children... |
| 2 | Middle English | noricerie | A nursery place where children are cared for |
| 3 | Old French | norricerie | — |
| 4 | Old French | norrice | a wet nurse |
| 5 | Latin | nūtrīcia | nurse |
| 6 | Latin | nūtrīcius | that suckles or nurses |
| 7 | Latin | nūtrīx | a child's nurse; wet nurse; milk mother |
| 8 | Latin | nūtriō | to suckle, breastfeed, nurse |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | snoutrjō | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | snew-tr-ih₂ | female nurser |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)neh₂- | to swim; to float |
via English maid
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | maid | A girl or an unmarried young woman; maiden; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | mayde | young woman |
| 3 | English | maiden | A girl or an unmarried young woman; A female... |
| 4 | Middle English | mayden | maiden |
| 5 | Old English | mægden | girl; virgin, young unmarried woman |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | magadīn | little girl |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | -īn | Creates adjectives from nouns with the sense... |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |