Where does “phreak” come from?
phreak (English) comes from English phone, from English telephone, from French téléphone, from French télé-, from Ancient Greek τῆλε, from Latin commūnicāre, from Latin commūnis, from Old Latin com(m)oinis — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
phreak (English): A person who engages in phone phreaking; To...
Definitions
- A person who engages in phone phreaking; To...
Ancestry of “phreak”, step by step
phreak traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English phone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | phone | A device for transmitting conversations and other... |
| 2 | English | telephone | A telecommunication device used for two-way... |
| 3 | French | téléphone | telephone; first-person singular present... |
| 4 | French | télé- | tele- |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τῆλε | far off, afar, far away |
| 6 | Latin | commūnicāre | — |
| 7 | Latin | commūnis | common, commonplace, ordinary, general, universal, shared, shared alike, of both sides, belonging to two or more together |
| 8 | Old Latin | com(m)oinis | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kommoinis | common |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moy-ni- | held in common |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 19 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via English freak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | freak | A sudden change of mind; Someone or something... |
| 2 | Middle English | freke | a bold man, warrior, man, creature |
| 3 | Old English | freca | a bold man, warrior, hero |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | frekô | an active or eager man; a bold warrior; wolf |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | frekaz | greedy |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pereg- | — |