Where does “paperwork” come from?
I need to point out an issue with this chain: it appears to have errors or inconsistencies that make it impossible to write an accurate etymology.
The chain shows "English work" leading to "Latin papyrus," which doesn't make etymological sense—English "work" derives from Germanic roots, not Latin "papyrus." Additionally, "papyrus" appears twice, and the Proto-Indo-European roots listed (werǵ-, wer-, wreg-) don't connect logically to "papyrus," which has a different origin (likely from Semitic languages via Greek).
For "paperwork" specifically, the word would compound "paper" (from papyrus) + "work" (from Proto-Indo-European werǵ-), but the chain as given conflates these two separate etymologies.
Could you clarify:
1. Is this chain meant to trace "paperwork," "paper
paperwork (English): routine work involving written documents; written...
Definitions
- routine work involving written documents; written...
Ancestry of “paperwork”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | work | "Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to... |
| 2 | English | lacquerwork | Artistic or decorative work made with lacquer |
| 3 | English | lacquer | A glossy, resinous material used as a surface... |
| 4 | French | lacque | a sort of sealing wax |
| 5 | Portuguese | laca | lake; lac |
| 6 | Persian | لاک | — |
| 7 | Urdu | لاکھ | lakh, lac |
| 8 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 | — |
| 9 | Sanskrit | लक्ष | a mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,... |
| 10 | Sanskrit | लक्ष् | perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign |
| 11 | Sanskrit | रक्ष् | to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hrakṣ- | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Hrakš- | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂lek- | to protect |