Where does “onsight” come from?

onsight (English) comes from English on, from Middle English on, from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana, from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- — on, onto.

onsight (English): Without having previously seen the terrain; To...

Definitions

  1. Without having previously seen the terrain; To...

Ancestry of “onsight”, step by step

onsight traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English on

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishonIn the state of being active, functioning or...
2Middle Englishonon, in; on; Alternative form of oon
3Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
4Proto-West Germanicanaon
5Proto-Germanic*an—
6Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via English sight

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsightThe ability to see; The act of seeing; perception...
2Middle Englishsightesight
3Middle Englishsiken—
4Old Englishsīcanto sigh
5Proto-West Germanic*sīkanto sigh, take a deep breath
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- →Every word from Proto-Germanic ana →Every word from Proto-Germanic *an →