Where does “pied piper” come from?
pied piper (English) comes from English pied, from English PIE, from Middle English pie, from Old French pié, from Latin pēs, from Ancient Greek μέτρον, from Ancient Greek -τρον, from Proto-Hellenic -tron — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
pied piper (English): That which draws many in its wake
Definitions
- That which draws many in its wake
Ancestry of “pied piper”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pied | Having two or more colors, especially black and... |
| 2 | English | PIE | A type of pastry that consists of an outer crust and a filling. (Savory pies are more popular in the UK and sweet pies are more popular in the US, so "pie" without qualification has different connotations in these dialects.) |
| 3 | Middle English | pie | Alternative form of pye |
| 4 | Old French | pié | foot |
| 5 | Latin | pēs | a foot, in its senses as |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |