Where does “pitfall” come from?

pitfall (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.

pitfall (English): A potential problem, hazard, or danger that is...

Definitions

  1. A potential problem, hazard, or danger that is...

Ancestry of “pitfall”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpitA hole in the ground; An area at a racetrack used...
2Middle Englishpit—
3Old Englishpyttpit; well, pool; grave
4Proto-West Germanicputiwell
5Latinputeuspit, dungeon; well; cistern
6Latin-alnoun-forming suffix

Words derived from “pitfall”

Every word from Latin -al →Every word from Latin puteus →Every word from Proto-West Germanic puti →