Where does “speakeasy” come from?
speakeasy (English) comes from English easy, from Middle English esy, from English ease, from Middle English ese, from Old French aise, from Latin adiacēns, from Latin adiaceo, from Latin ad- — in.
speakeasy (English): An illegal saloon or tavern, especially one...
Definitions
- An illegal saloon or tavern, especially one...
Ancestry of “speakeasy”, step by step
speakeasy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English easy
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | easy | Comfortable; at ease; Requiring little skill or... |
| 2 | Middle English | esy | Comfortable, pleasant; Convenient, suitable, fit;... |
| 3 | English | ease | Ability, the means to do something, particularly;... |
| 4 | Middle English | ese | Alternative form of eise; Physical comfort, or... |
| 5 | Old French | aise | Alternative form of eise; empty space, elbow... |
| 6 | Latin | adiacēns | adjacent, adjoining, neighbouring |
| 7 | Latin | adiaceo | I lie beside, at, near or next to; am adjacent... |
| 8 | Latin | ad- | to; usually prefixed to verbs, in which cases it... |
| 9 | Latin | īn- | un-, non-, not |
| 10 | Latin | în | in, at, on, upon, from (space) |
| 11 | Latin | en | lookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ |
| 12 | Proto-Italic | en | in |
| 13 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁én | in |
via English speak
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | speak | To communicate with one's voice, to say words out... |
| 2 | Middle English | speke | — |
| 3 | Old English | specan | Alternative form of sprecan; to speak |
| 4 | Old English | sprecan | to speak, talk |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *sprekan | to speak |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | sprekaną | to speak, to make a noise |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spreg- | to make a sound, speak; to make a sound, utter,... |