Where does “playhouse” come from?
Playhouse combines Middle English pleȝen, from Latin placere meaning "to please," with Middle English -en and house, ultimately deriving from Proto-Indo-European éǵh₂.
playhouse (English): A venue for performing plays; Alternative form of...
Definitions
- A venue for performing plays; Alternative form of...
Ancestry of “playhouse”, step by step
playhouse traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English house
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | house | A structure built or serving as an abode of human... |
| 2 | Middle English | hus | Alternative form of hous; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Middle English | hous | house, residence; house of worship, temple;... |
| 4 | Old English | hūs | dwelling, shelter, house; house |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hūs | house |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hūsą | house |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kewH- | to cover, bedeck; cover |
via English play
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | play | To act in a manner such that one has fun; to... |
| 2 | Middle English | pleye | Happiness, mirth, jolliness, or gaiety; Fun,... |
| 3 | Old English | pleġa | exercise |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | plegō | care; an exercise; a game |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ō | Creates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |