Where does “reporter” come from?
Reporter comes from Middle French reporter, from Latin reportāre meaning to carry back, derived from the prefix re- and portāre meaning to carry, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.
reporter (English): Someone or something that reports; A journalist...
Definitions
- Someone or something that reports; A journalist...
Ancestry of “reporter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | report | To relate details of (an event or incident); to recount, describe (something) |
| 2 | Middle English | reporten | to report |
| 3 | Old French | reporter | to bring back; to gain; to get |
| 4 | Old French | re- | re- again; once more |
| 5 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 6 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 7 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |