Where does “pointswoman” come from?
pointswoman (English) comes from English points, from English point, from Middle English point, from Old French point, from Latin pūnctum, from Latin punctus, from Latin -tus, from Proto-Italic -tus — Derives action nouns from verb roots.
pointswoman (English): A woman in charge of railroad points or switches
Definitions
- A woman in charge of railroad points or switches
Ancestry of “pointswoman”, step by step
pointswoman traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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 |
via English woman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | woman | An adult female human; All female humans... |
| 2 | Middle English | womman | An female adult person; a woman; The female sex... |
| 3 | Old English | wīfmann | woman; female servant; woman |
| 4 | Old English | mann | person; man meaning mankind; man meaning adult... |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | mann | person, human |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *mann- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | men- | to think, mind; spiritual activity; to stay,... |