Where does “pawnbroker” come from?
Pawnbroker derives from English broker, which comes from English broke, itself from English break, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European bʰreg- meaning to break.
pawnbroker (English): A person who makes monetary loans at interest,...
Definitions
- A person who makes monetary loans at interest,...
Ancestry of “pawnbroker”, step by step
pawnbroker traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English broker
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | broker | comparative form of broke: more broke; A mediator... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English pawn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pawn | The most common chess piece, or a similar piece... |
| 2 | Middle English | paun | Alternative form of pown |
| 3 | Old French | pan | bit; piece; part; a piece of armor |
| 4 | Latin | pannus | cloth; rag; garment |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | peh₂n- | something woven; weave; tissue; fabric; cloth; to... |