Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “schoolmate” come from?

Schoolmate comes from English school, from Middle English scole, from Middle Dutch scole, from Latin schola, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to cut or separate.

schoolmate (English): A person who was a fellow attendee at one's...

Definitions

  1. A person who was a fellow attendee at one's...

Ancestry of “schoolmate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-mate—
2EnglishmatéAn evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to...
3Middle Englishmate—
4Middle Low Germanmāte—
5Old Saxongimato—
6Proto-Germanicgamatjô—
7Proto-Germanicga-Indicates association or togetherness; co-;...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
10Middle Englishkyt—
11Germankitt—
12Old High Germankuti—
13Proto-West Germanickwidugum, resin
14Proto-Germanickweduzresin
15Proto-Indo-Europeangʷet-resin, gum; to say, speak
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷet- →