Where does “railwayman” come from?
railwayman (English) comes from English railway, 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 — Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone...
railwayman (English): A man who works on a railway
Definitions
- A man who works on a railway
Ancestry of “railwayman”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | railway | A transport system using rails used to move... |
| 2 | English | rail | A horizontal bar extending between supports and... |
| 3 | Middle English | rail | — |
| 4 | Old English | regol | a rule; a ruler |
| 5 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 6 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |