Where does “ringer” come from?
Ringer derives from English ring plus the agent suffix -er, which comes from Old French -er, from Latin -are and -arius, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sek- meaning to cut or separate.
ringer (English): Someone who rings, especially a bell ringer; A...
Definitions
- Someone who rings, especially a bell ringer; A...
Ancestry of “ringer”, step by step
ringer traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English ringere
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ringere | — |
| 2 | Middle English | ring | ring |
| 3 | Old English | hring | ring |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hring | ring, circle |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hringaz | ring, circle; curve; sound, ring |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)krengʰ- | to turn, bend |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)ker- | to cut off; to turn, bend |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
via Middle English ryngar
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ryngar | — |
via Middle English rynger
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rynger | — |