Where does “railcar” come from?
railcar (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.
railcar (English): A self-propelled railway vehicle for passengers;...
Definitions
- A self-propelled railway vehicle for passengers;...
Ancestry of “railcar”, step by step
railcar traces back through two 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 rail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | rail | A horizontal bar extending between supports and... |
| 2 | Middle English | rail | — |
| 3 | Old English | regol | a rule; a ruler |
| 4 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 5 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |