Where does “rollercoaster” come from?
Rollercoaster is a compound of English roller and English coast, with roller deriving from Old French -er and Latin -are (infinitive verb suffix) combined with Latin -arius (agent noun suffix) and Latin -us (nominative singular ending).
rollercoaster (English): An amusement ride consisting of a buggy on a...
Definitions
- An amusement ride consisting of a buggy on a...
Ancestry of “rollercoaster”, step by step
rollercoaster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English roller
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | roller | "Anything that rolls."; A long wide bandage used... |
| 2 | English | roll | To cause to revolve by turning over and over; to... |
| 3 | Middle English | rolle | — |
| 4 | Old French | rolle | registration |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | rotulus | a roll, list, catalogue, schedule, record, a... |
| 6 | Latin | rotula | a small wheel; roll |
| 7 | Arabic | رَطْل | — |
| 8 | Classical Syriac | ܪܝܛܠܐ | — |
| 9 | Classical Syriac | ܠܝܛܪܐ | libra, pound |
| 10 | French | litre | litre |
| 11 | Medieval Latin | litra | — |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | λίτρα | litra, a Sicilian silver coin; libra, a unit of... |
| 13 | Proto-Italic | *līðrā | ingot |
via English coaster
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | coaster | one who coasts; Something that coasts, such as a... |
| 2 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 3 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 4 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 5 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 10 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |