Where does “peephole” come from?
Peephole is a compound of English peep, a verb meaning to look quickly or furtively, and English hole, a noun meaning an opening or cavity.
peephole (English): A small hole, opening, or piece of glass,...
Definitions
- A small hole, opening, or piece of glass,...
Ancestry of “peephole”, step by step
peephole traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Peep
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Peep | A soft marshmallow candy, shaped into a baby... |
| 2 | English | peeps | plural of peep; Third-person singular simple... |
| 3 | English | people | a body of human beings considered generally or... |
| 4 | Middle English | puple | people |
| 5 | Anglo-Norman | people | — |
| 6 | Old French | pople | Alternative form of pueple |
| 7 | Latin | populus | a people, nation; a community of people; the... |
| 8 | Old Latin | populus | a people, nation; a community of people; the... |
| 9 | Old Latin | poplus | — |
| 10 | Old Latin | poplos | — |
| 11 | Proto-Italic | poplos | army |
via English hole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hole | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit;... |
| 2 | Middle English | hole | healthy; safe; whole, complete, full |
| 3 | Old English | hol | a hole, a hollow; calumny; slander |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hol | hollow; hole |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hulą | a hollow; depression; hole |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hulaz | hollow |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱel- | to cover; to incline |