Where does “ringleader” come from?
Ringleader comes from Middle English ring and Old English hring, ultimately from Proto-Germanic hringijaną and Proto-Indo-European sker-, meaning to turn or bend.
ringleader (English): A leader of a group of people, especially an...
Definitions
- A leader of a group of people, especially an...
Ancestry of “ringleader”, step by step
ringleader traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English ring
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | ring | A solid object in the shape of a circle; A group... |
| 2 | Middle English | ryng | 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 |