Where does “rummager” come from?
rummager (English) comes from English rummage, from Middle English ronage, from Old French arrumage, from Old French arrumer, from Middle Dutch ruum, from Old Dutch rūm, from Proto-West Germanic rūm, from Proto-Germanic rūmaz — free space.
rummager (English): One who rummages; A worker in charge of stowing...
Definitions
- One who rummages; A worker in charge of stowing...
Ancestry of “rummager”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | rummage | To arrange in the hold of a ship; to move or... |
| 2 | Middle English | ronage | — |
| 3 | Old French | arrumage | — |
| 4 | Old French | arrumer | to arrange the cargo in the hold |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | ruum | — |
| 6 | Old Dutch | rūm | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | rūm | roomy, spacious; room, open space |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | rūmaz | roomy, spacious, open |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | rewh₁- | free space |