Where does “sidearm” come from?
Sidearm comes from English side and arm, where side derives from Middle English side, Old English sīde, and Proto-Germanic sīdǭ, while arm derives from Latin arma meaning weapons, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂er-.
sidearm (English): A personal weapon, such as a handgun or sword,...
Definitions
- A personal weapon, such as a handgun or sword,...
Ancestry of “sidearm”, step by step
sidearm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Side
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Side | A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape |
| 2 | Middle English | side | custom |
| 3 | Old English | sīde | side, flank |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *sīdā | side |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | sida | — |
| 6 | Late Latin | seta | Alternative form of saeta; hair, bristle; bristle |
| 7 | Latin | saeta | a bristle, hair on an animal; silk |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | saitā | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | séh₂ito- | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂ey- | to bind, fetter |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂- | to satiate, satisfy |
via English Arm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Arm | Abbreviation of Armenian |
| 2 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 3 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |