Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “screwdriving” come from?

screwdriving (English) comes from English screw, from Middle English screw, from Old French escroue, from Latin scrofa, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker-, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

screwdriving (English): The work of fastening or loosening a screw with a...

Definitions

  1. The work of fastening or loosening a screw with a...

Ancestry of “screwdriving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishscrewA device that has a helical function; The motion...
2Middle Englishscrew—
3Old Frenchescrouenut, cylindrical socket, screwhole; scroll, strip...
4Latinscrofasow
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kerbʰ-to turn, curve; to turn , wind; to turn around,...
6Proto-Indo-European(s)ker-to cut off; to turn, bend
7Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →