Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “privateersman” come from?

privateersman (English) comes from English privateer, from English private, from Latin prīvātus, from Latin prīvō, from French ferriprive, from Latin ferrum, from Cornish -er, from English -er — he, she.

privateersman (English): The captain or member of the crew of a privateer

Definitions

  1. The captain or member of the crew of a privateer

Ancestry of “privateersman”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishprivateerA privately owned warship that had official...
2EnglishprivateBelonging to, concerning, or accessible only to...
3Latinprīvātus—
4Latinprīvō—
5FrenchferripriveSuffering from a deficiency of iron
6Latinferrumiron; any tool made of iron; fight, clash
7Cornish-er—
8English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
9Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
10Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
11Latin-āre—
12Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
13Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
14Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
15Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
16Chichewaiyehe, she
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