Where does “saw” come from?
Saw comes from Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu, from Proto-Germanic sagō, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷe-, ultimately derived from the root sek-.
saw (English): A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard...
Definitions
- A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard...
Ancestry of “saw”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | sawe | Alternative form of sauf |
| 2 | Old English | saga | saw; saying; statement; story, tale; narrative |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | sagā | story |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sagǭ | story |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷe- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |