Where does “railfare” come from?
railfare (English) comes from English rail, from Middle English rail, from Old English regol, from Latin rēgula, from Latin -ula, from Proto-Indo-European -tlom, from Proto-Indo-European -trom, from Proto-Indo-European -tḗr — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
Ancestry of “railfare”, step by step
railfare traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
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... |
via English fare
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | fare | A going; journey; travel; voyage; course;... |
| 2 | Middle English | fare | journey, going |
| 3 | Old English | fær | sudden danger, calamity; sudden attack; ambush; a... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *far | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | farą | a means of passing, ford, ferry |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |