Where does “reference work” come from?
reference work (English) comes from English work, from English lacquerwork, from English lacquer, from French lacque, from Portuguese laca, from Persian لاک, from Urdu لاکھ, from Maharastri Prakrit 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 — to protect.
reference work (English): A compendium of information which is not intended...
Definitions
- A compendium of information which is not intended...
Ancestry of “reference work”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | work | "Employment."; "Effort."; Sustained effort to... |
| 2 | English | lacquerwork | Artistic or decorative work made with lacquer |
| 3 | English | lacquer | A glossy, resinous material used as a surface... |
| 4 | French | lacque | a sort of sealing wax |
| 5 | Portuguese | laca | lake; lac |
| 6 | Persian | لاک | — |
| 7 | Urdu | لاکھ | lakh, lac |
| 8 | Maharastri Prakrit | 𑀮𑀓𑁆𑀔 | — |
| 9 | Sanskrit | लक्ष | a mark, sign, token; a mark to aim at, target,... |
| 10 | Sanskrit | लक्ष् | perceive, observe; recognise; to mark, sign |
| 11 | Sanskrit | रक्ष् | to protect, guard, watch, take care of, save,... |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-Aryan | Hrakṣ- | — |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-Iranian | Hrakš- | — |
| 14 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂lek- | to protect |