Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “playmate” come from?

Playmate comes from English play, from Middle English pleȝen, ultimately from Latin placere meaning "to please" or "to be agreeable."

playmate (English): A companion for someone to play with; A female...

Definitions

  1. A companion for someone to play with; A female...

Ancestry of “playmate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmatéAn evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to...
2Middle Englishmate—
3Middle Low Germanmāte—
4Old Saxongimato—
5Proto-Germanicgamatjô—
6Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
8Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
9Middle Englishkyt—
10Germankitt—
11Old High Germankuti—
12Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
13Proto-Germanickweduzresin
14Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
15Proto-Indo-Europeangū-to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gū- →