Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prowler” come from?

Prowler derives from English prowl plus the agent suffix -er, with prowl from Old French -er and Latin -are, ultimately from Proto-Italic -os.

prowler (English): One who roves about for prey; one who prowls

Definitions

  1. One who roves about for prey; one who prowls

Ancestry of “prowler”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-erA person or thing that does an action indicated...
2Middle English-eragentive suffix; agent noun suffix
3Old French-erAlternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;...
4Latin-āre—
5Proto-Italic-āōForms primarily denominative verbs
6Proto-Indo-European-eh₂yétiCreates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive...
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-—
9Chichewaiyehe, she
Every word from Chichewa iye →