Where does “racecar” come from?
racecar (English) comes from English car, from Middle English carre, from Anglo-Norman carre, from Latin carra, from Latin carrus, from Gaulish karros, from Proto-Celtic karros, from Proto-Indo-European ḱr̥sós — to run.
racecar (English): Alternative spelling of race car
Definitions
- Alternative spelling of race car
Ancestry of “racecar”, step by step
racecar traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English car
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | car | A wheeled vehicle that moves independently, with... |
| 2 | Middle English | carre | cart, wagon |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | carre | cart |
| 4 | Latin | carra | — |
| 5 | Latin | carrus | a wagon, a four-wheeled baggage cart; a cartload,... |
| 6 | Gaulish | karros | wagon |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | karros | wagon |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱr̥sós | vehicle |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱers- | to run |
via English race
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | race | A contest between people, animals, vehicles, etc.... |
| 2 | Middle French | race | race; breed |
| 3 | Italian | razza | race, breed; kind, type; family, descent |
| 4 | Italian | razzo | skyrocket; Ellipsis of razzo di segnalazione;... |
| 5 | Italian | raggio | ray, beam, shaft; spoke; radius |
| 6 | Latin | radius | ray; staff, rod; spoke |
| 7 | English | -án | Of or pertaining to;. Often added to words of Latin origin, but also used with words of other origins. When a word ends in a |
| 8 | Middle English | -an | — |
via English race car
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | race car | A car designed for use on race tracks in motor... |