Where does “pushpin” come from?

pushpin (English) comes from English push, from Middle English pushen, from Middle French pousser, from Old French poulser, from Latin pulsare, from Latin pulso, from Latin pulsus, from Latin pellō — to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold.

pushpin (English): A thumbtack; An old children's game where pins...

Definitions

  1. A thumbtack; An old children's game where pins...

Ancestry of “pushpin”, step by step

pushpin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English push

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpushTo apply a force to such that it moves away from...
2Middle Englishpushen
3Middle Frenchpousser
4Old Frenchpoulser
5Latinpulsarepresent active infinitive of pulsō; second-person...
6LatinpulsoI push, strike, beat, batter, hammer; knock on;...
7Latinpulsuspulse, impulse, beat, stroke; expelled, kicked...
8Latinpellōto push, drive, hurl, impel, propel; expel, banish, eject, thrust out
9Proto-Italicpelnōapproach, go to; bring close
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpelh₂-to approach
11Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

via English PIN

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPINAcronym of personal identification number;...
2Middle Englishpinne
3Old Englishpinnpin; peg; an instrument of writing; pen
4Proto-Germanicpinnazpin
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbend-point, pin; peg, tip, protruding point, edge;...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel-
pushpin — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer