Where does “pointsperson” come from?
pointsperson (English) comes from English Person, from Middle English persoun, from Old French persone, from Medieval Latin persona, from Latin persōna, from Etruscan 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖, from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον, from Ancient Greek ὤψ — to see; eye.
pointsperson (English): A person in charge of railroad points or switches
Definitions
- A person in charge of railroad points or switches
Ancestry of “pointsperson”, step by step
pointsperson traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Person
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Person | An individual who has been granted personhood; usually a human being |
| 2 | Middle English | persoun | person |
| 3 | Old French | persone | person; individual; rector of a parish; someone;... |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | persona | parson, person; mask; character |
| 5 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 6 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | eye |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |
via English points
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | points | plural of point; Movable rails which can be used... |
| 2 | English | point | A discrete division of something; A sharp... |
| 3 | Middle English | point | — |
| 4 | Old French | point | a sting; a prick; moment; time; dot |
| 5 | Latin | pūnctum | point |
| 6 | Latin | punctus | pricked, punctured, pierced, having been pricked;... |
| 7 | Latin | -tus | Forms the past participle of verbs; Forms... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -tus | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tus | Derives action nouns from verb roots |