Where does “paperweight” come from?
Paperweight comes from English paper and weight, where paper derives from Latin papyrus, from Ancient Greek πάπυρος, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to weave or turn.
paperweight (English): A small, decorative, somewhat weighty object...
Definitions
- A small, decorative, somewhat weighty object...
Ancestry of “paperweight”, step by step
paperweight 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 | — |