Where does “softwear” come from?
softwear (English) comes from English soft, from Middle English softe, from Old English sōfte, from Proto-West Germanic samftō, from Proto-West Germanic -ō, from Proto-Germanic -ô, from Proto-Indo-European -ō — Derives nouns from roots.
softwear (English): athletic shoes, sneakers
Definitions
- athletic shoes, sneakers
Ancestry of “softwear”, step by step
softwear traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English soft
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | soft | Easily giving way under pressure; Smooth and... |
| 2 | Middle English | softe | soft |
| 3 | Old English | sōfte | softly |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | samftō | softly, gently |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ō | Creates adverbs from adjectives; Creates agent... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ô | -ly; Forms agent nouns, often from the zero-grade... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ō | Derives nouns from roots |
via English Wear
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wear | The cities of Durham and Sunderland are situated upon its grand banks |
| 2 | Middle English | weren | Plural past indicative form of been; Plural... |
| 3 | Old English | werian | to wear; to defend, protect |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | waʀjan | to clothe |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | warjaną | to ward off, to defend against; to thwart, to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |