Where does “pitboy” come from?
pitboy (English) comes from English pit, from Middle English pit, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic puti, from Latin puteus, from Latin -al — noun-forming suffix.
pitboy (English): A young pitman
Definitions
- A young pitman
Ancestry of “pitboy”, step by step
pitboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English pit
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | pit | A hole in the ground; An area at a racetrack used... |
| 2 | Middle English | pit | — |
| 3 | Old English | pytt | pit; well, pool; grave |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | puti | well |
| 5 | Latin | puteus | pit, dungeon; well; cistern |
| 6 | Latin | -al | noun-forming suffix |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |