Where does “perp walk” come from?
perp walk (English) comes from English walk, from Middle English walk, from Old English wealcian, from Frankish walkōn, from Proto-Germanic walkōną, from Indo-European *wel-.
perp walk (English): The intentional public display before news cameras of a person in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the effectiveness of the authorities, or shaming the person
Definitions
- The intentional public display before news cameras of a person in police custody, especially someone famous or notorious, for the purpose of satisfying public interest, demonstrating the effectiveness of the authorities, or shaming the person
Ancestry of “perp walk”, step by step
perp walk traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English walk
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | walk | To move on the feet by alternately setting each... |
| 2 | Middle English | walk | to watch |
| 3 | Old English | wealcian | to roll up, curl, twist; to wrinkle |
| 4 | Frankish | walkōn | to roll; to full |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | walkōną | To roll about; wallow; To full |
| 6 | Indo-European | *wel- | — |
via English perp
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | perp | Perpetrator; Abbreviation of perpendicular |
| 2 | English | perpetrator | One who perpetrates; especially, one who commits... |
| 3 | Latin | perpetrator | second-person singular future passive imperative... |