Where does “postmaster” come from?
Postmaster derives from English post and English master, compounds denoting an official in charge of a postal station or mail delivery system.
postmaster (English): The head of a post office; The administrator of...
Definitions
- The head of a post office; The administrator of...
Ancestry of “postmaster”, step by step
postmaster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English post
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | post | A long dowel or plank protruding from the ground;... |
| 2 | Middle French | poste | — |
| 3 | Italian | posta | mail, post; post office; stakes |
| 4 | Latin | probāre | — |
| 5 | Latin | probō | to approve, permit, commend |
| 6 | Latin | Probus | good, serviceable, excellent, superior, able |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro-bhwo- | being in front, prominent |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
via English Master
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Master | Prepended to a boy's name or surname as a form... |
| 2 | English | Mast | — |
| 3 | French | masse | a paste, a dough; large amount or quantity of... |
| 4 | Old French | mace | mace weapon |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | mattia | — |
| 6 | Latin | mateola | The meaning of this term is uncertain.... |
| 7 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |