Where does “specsmanship” come from?
specsmanship (English) comes from English manship, from Middle English manship, from Old English manscipe, from Old English -sċipe, from Proto-West Germanic -skapi, from Proto-Germanic -skapiz, from Proto-Germanic skapjaną, from Proto-Indo-European skab- — to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,...
specsmanship (English): The use of specifications and quantitative measurements to establish the putative superiority of one product over another
Definitions
- The use of specifications and quantitative measurements to establish the putative superiority of one product over another
Ancestry of “specsmanship”, step by step
specsmanship traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English manship
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | manship | The characteristic of being a man; maleness;... |
| 2 | Middle English | manship | position of honor; respect; courtesy; manly... |
| 3 | Old English | manscipe | humanity, courtesy, kindness, chivalry |
| 4 | Old English | -sċipe | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -skapi | Forms nouns denoting state, originally meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -skapiz | Forms nouns denoting state, originally meaning... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | skapjaną | to make, to create; to shape |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | skab- | to cut, split, hew, shape; to cut, split, carve,... |
via English specs
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | specs | Abbreviation of spectacles; Specifications:... |
| 2 | English | specification | An explicit set of requirements to be satisfied... |
| 3 | Middle French | specification | — |
| 4 | Latin | specificationem | — |