Where does “paperboy” come from?
paperboy (English) comes from English paper, from Middle English paper, from Old French papier, from Old Catalan paper, from Latin papȳrus, from French -ine, from French -é, from Middle French -é.
paperboy (English): A male who delivers newspapers to houses on a...
Definitions
- A male who delivers newspapers to houses on a...
Ancestry of “paperboy”, step by step
paperboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English paper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | paper | A sheet material used for writing on or printing... |
| 2 | Middle English | paper | paper; A text, message or note; something that is... |
| 3 | Old French | papier | to murmur |
| 4 | Old Catalan | paper | paper sheet material typically used for writing on or printing |
| 5 | Latin | papȳrus | papyrus plant |
| 6 | French | -ine | feminine singular of -in; female equivalent of... |
| 7 | French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular -er... |
| 8 | Middle French | -é | past participle root verb suffix of regular; -ed, -en, -n |
| 9 | Old French | -é | used to form past participles of regular -er... |
| 10 | Latin | -a | suffixed to the roots of verbs, forms agent... |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | -ā | Forms masculine agent nouns from prefixed or compounded bases |
| 12 | 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 |