Where does “paratrooper” come from?
Paratrooper comes from English paratroop, blending English parachute and English troop, where parachute derives from Latin -are and Latin -arius, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European treb-.
paratrooper (English): A type of soldier who is trained to enter combat...
Definitions
- A type of soldier who is trained to enter combat...
Ancestry of “paratrooper”, step by step
paratrooper traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English parachute
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | parachute | A device, generally constructed from fabric, that... |
| 2 | French | parachute | parachute device designed to control the fall of an object |
| 3 | French | para- | para |
| 4 | Italian | para- | para |
| 5 | Italian | para | crepe rubber; crepe; third-person singular... |
| 6 | Italian | paranoia | paranoia |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | παράνοια | derangement, madness |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -ῐ́ᾱ | {{l|en|-ia}}; "suffix forming abstract feminine... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -íh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -h₂ | Creates collective nouns, which refer to groups... |
via English trooper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | trooper | A soldier of private rank in cavalry or armour; A... |
| 2 | English | troop | A collection of people; a number; a multitude; A... |
| 3 | French | troupe | troop |
| 4 | French | troupeau | herd (of horses, bulls, elephants, buffalo etc.) |
| 5 | Middle French | trope | — |
| 6 | Old French | trope | band, company, troop |
| 7 | Medieval Latin | troppus | flock; herd, flock |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | þurpą | village, rural settlement; gathering of people;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | treb- | settlement, dwelling; to build, dwell |