Where does “schoolboy” come from?
Schoolboy comes from English school, from Middle English scole, from Middle Dutch boeye, from Latin schola, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʰel-, bʰā-, bʰeh₂-, and seǵʰ-.
schoolboy (English): A boy attending school; characteristic of a...
Definitions
- A boy attending school; characteristic of a...
Ancestry of “schoolboy”, step by step
schoolboy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English school
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | school | A group of fish or a group of marine mammals such... |
| 2 | Middle English | scole | school |
| 3 | Old English | scōl | place of education |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *skōlu | — |
| 5 | Latin | schola | Leisure time given to learning; schooltime,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | σχολή | leisure, free time; rest; that in which leisure... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | skʰolā́ | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sǵʰ-h₃-léh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | seǵʰ- | to hold; to overpower |
via English boy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | boy | A young male; A male child: a son of any age; A... |
| 2 | Middle English | boye | servant, commoner, knave, boy |
| 3 | Old English | bōia | boy |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bōjô | younger brother, young male relation |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | bō- | A stem meaning "father, brother, close male... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰā- | to say |