Where does “steerage” come from?
Steerage derives from Middle English steerage, from Old French -age, from Latin -aticum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂stḗr meaning "star" or "steering," combined with the Proto-Indo-European suffix -kos.
steerage (English): The art of steering; The section of a passenger...
Definitions
- The art of steering; The section of a passenger...
Ancestry of “steerage”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | steer | To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle,... |
| 2 | Middle English | steer | steer, young bull |
| 3 | Old English | stēor | rudder; a young bull or cow; steer; steer |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | stiuriją | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | stiurijaną | to direct, steer |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 9 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |