Where does “schoolteacher” come from?
Schoolteacher derives from English school, attested in Middle English as scole, borrowed from Middle Dutch scole, which came from Latin schola meaning a place of learning or leisure, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷel-.
schoolteacher (English): A teacher working in a school
Definitions
- A teacher working in a school
Ancestry of “schoolteacher”, step by step
schoolteacher 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 |