Where does “payload specialist” come from?

payload specialist (English) comes from English payload, from English pay, from Middle English payen, from Old French paiier, from Medieval Latin pacare, from Latin pācāre, from Latin pāx, from Proto-Italic pāks — to join, to attach; agreement, settlement.

payload specialist (English): an astronaut selected and trained for specific space flights, usually responsible for handling complex equipment onboard and conducting experiments and researches

Definitions

  1. an astronaut selected and trained for specific space flights, usually responsible for handling complex equipment onboard and conducting experiments and researches

Ancestry of “payload specialist”, step by step

payload specialist traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English payload

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpayloadThat part of a cargo that produces revenue; The...
2EnglishpayTo give money or other compensation to in...
3Middle Englishpayenpagan
4Old Frenchpaiierto pay
5Medieval Latinpacareto settle, satisfy; present active infinitive of...
6Latinpācāre
7Latinpāxpeace
8Proto-Italicpākspeace
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpéh₂ḱ-speace
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂ḱ-to join, to attach; agreement, settlement

via English specialist

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishspecialistSpecialised; Someone who is an expert in, or...
2Frenchspécialistespecialist
3Latinspecialisspecific
4Latinspeciēsseeing, view, look
5Latinspeciōto observe, watch, look at
6Proto-Italicspekjōto observe, to see
7Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂ḱ-