Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “speedboat” come from?

Speedboat derives from English speed and English boat, with boat tracing back through Middle English boot and Old English bāt to Latin buttis and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bʰeyd-.

speedboat (English): A fast boat, usually small; A boat designed and...

Definitions

  1. A fast boat, usually small; A boat designed and...

Ancestry of “speedboat”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSpeed—
2Middle Englishspedgood fortune
3Old Englishspēdsuccess; luck, prosperity, success
4Proto-West Germanicspōdihurry, rush; success, prosperity
5Proto-West Germanicspōanto succeed, prosper
6Proto-Germanicspōanąto prosper, succeed, be happy
7Proto-Indo-Europeanspéh₁-—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper

Words derived from “speedboat”

  • spitbot
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- →